Parliamentary Recording Unit

Jo Swinson: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission what guidance it issues on posting material provided by the Parliamentary Recording Unit on external websites.

Nick Harvey: Members may obtain parliamentary material for use on their own parliamentary websites subject to the following conditions.
	1. The permission is restricted to use of recordings of proceedings on a Member's own parliamentary website (and not on any searchable third party hosting website).
	2. A Member may only use material which features the Member, any reply from a Minister to a question asked by the Member, and any other contributions to the debate on an issue raised by the Member.
	3. The recording will be supplied by the Parliamentary Recording Unit watermarked with a portcullis logo to show its origin and discourage its unauthorised use by others. The Member will be asked to acknowledge Parliamentary Copyright on his/her site and ensure the material is not downloadable.
	The original web casting licence from the Speaker and PARBUL was renewed in June 2006, and this permitted the use of the clean feed of proceedings to be used in a live webcast maintained or operated by the House of Commons. It specifically stated that the clean feed shall not be passed to any other person.
	Following representations from Members, the licence was varied so the above guidelines could be adopted. This variance was noted by the Administration Committee on 12 December 2006.

Waste Disposal: Domestic Wastes

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made, and what research was undertaken, by  (a) his Department,  (b) his consultants Eunomia and  (c) the Waste Resources Action Programme into the change in the burning of household rubbish following the imposition of new bin taxes.

Joan Ruddock: Powers provided in the Climate Change Bill will allow up to five local authorities to come forward to pilot non revenue raising incentive schemes, which are designed to encourage householders to reduce the waste they throw away and increase recycling.
	My Department has not made an estimate or undertaken research into the increase in the burning of household rubbish following the introduction of pilot waste incentive schemes, nor has Eunomia undertaken work in this area for Government. As for the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), they are not responsible for research or policy on backyard burning.

Waste Disposal: Fees and Charges

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what penalties councils will be able to levy for non-payment of the proposed new charges for domestic rubbish collection.

Joan Ruddock: Powers provided in the Climate Change Bill will allow up to five local authorities to pilot non revenue raising incentives schemes, which are designed to encourage household waste minimisation and recycling.
	It is envisaged that local authorities running pilot schemes would be able to recover any money owed by residents through the courts as a civil debt.

Waste Disposal: Fly Tipping

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what his Department's latest projection is of the likely change in fly tipping in  (a) percentage and  (b) volume terms, broken down by local authority, under the plans for proposed new charges for domestic rubbish collection;
	(2)  what assessment has been made of the effect of higher charges for the collection and disposal of waste on levels of waste-related offences.

Joan Ruddock: My Department has made no projections for increases in fly-tipping under waste incentive schemes.
	For modelling purposes, the impact assessment for this policy assesses the possible effect of waste incentive schemes on levels of waste-related offences, and the potential costs to local authorities. The impact assessment can be found on the Department's website.
	We also think that it is sensible for pilot authorities to review their policies for tackling fly-tipping, and to have a fly-tipping prevention strategy in place. Having a strategy in place to deal with fly-tipping is good common sense for all authorities.
	Evidence from other countries where similar schemes operate suggests that an increase in fly-tipping is not an automatic consequence of introducing them. Where increases in fly-tipping have been seen overseas, this quickly tails off where schemes are well designed and effective enforcement action is taken. Having a good strategy is in the first instance an important part of effective enforcement.
	Further details will also be covered in guidance, which is currently being developed and will be publicly consulted on.

London and South Eastern Railway: Fares

Roger Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the Strategic Rail Authority's Integrated Franchise Agreement Briefing Document, what the agreed ceiling for fare increases was for South Eastern Railway.

Tom Harris: The Stakeholder Briefing Document for the Integrated Kent Franchise, published by the Strategic Rail Authority in January 2005, stated that bidders had been asked to prepare proposals which anticipated either a continuation of the present fare structure (annual increases of 1 per cent. above the retail price index) or a fares regime that allowed tickets to be priced at 3 per cent. above the retail price index for the first five years of the franchise. Government would then decide which to proceed with once bids had been returned and a measure of the cost and affordability of each proposition was known.
	Southeastern regulated fares have an overall cap of an annual average increase of 3 per cent. above the retail price index, or 6.8 per cent. for 2008.
	Individual regulated fares can increase by more than the average and for Southeastern fares, the maximum is 8 per cent. above inflation. Therefore, individual regulated fares on Southeastern were permitted to rise by up to 11.8 per cent. for 2008, provided average increases were limited to RPI+3 per cent.

Road Length

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many miles of  (a) roads and  (b) cycle lanes were constructed in England in each year since 1997, broken down by local authority area.

Rosie Winterton: Data on lengths of roads constructed are not collected centrally.
	The Department does make annual estimates of total road lengths by local authority and by road class. These are for total lengths only, so any change between years can be due to reclassification and closure of roads as well as new construction. It is not possible to identify how much of the change is due to construction only. The latest figures are published online at:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/statistics/datatablespublications/roadstraffic/roadlengths/regionclass/.
	Information on the length of new cycle lanes constructed in England, outside London, for the financial years from 2001-02 to 2006-07 is set out in the tables, which have been placed in the Libraries of the House. This data has been collected only since 2001-02 and is provided in kilometres.
	The information is provided by local authorities on an annual basis as part of their annual performance report on their local transport plans. It is not verified by the Department. Responsibility for the accuracy of the data rests with individual authorities. The data is incomplete and includes some estimates.
	Figures are not available for London boroughs but Transport for London report that around 550 km of the London Cycle Network+ were completed by April 2007 with a target of 900km due for completion by end 2010.

Roads: Lighting

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps the Government has taken to encourage local councils to fund improved street lighting.

Rosie Winterton: Over the 10-year period covered by the first and second Local Transport Plan rounds, the Department for Transport is providing more than £6.5 billion for highways maintenance to English highway authorities outside London, to cover a range of investment in the network including street lighting. In addition, we have allocated £1.4 billion in credits for street lighting PFI schemes, including £64.3 million recently announced for the Coventry Street Lighting PFI project. Revenue support grant can also be used to operate street lighting.
	In a range of guidance and advice, the Government have encouraged local councils to consider how good street lighting adds to the character of an area, and can make an important contribution to, for example, reductions in accidents, crime or the fear of crime, or increased night-time mobility.
	In addition, the Department is represented on the UK Lighting Board, which brings together national and local governments, and which contributes to the dissemination of best practice in street lighting. The Department also endorses and promotes the board's code of practice on highway lighting management, "Well-lit Highways" (TSO, 2004).
	Ministers and officials take many opportunities to engage with local authorities in this area. Most recently, I spoke to the 11(th) annual Institution of Lighting Engineers/Surveyor street lighting conference in December 2007.

Departmental Data Protection

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality whether personal data for which the Government Equality Office is responsible is  (a) stored and  (b) processed overseas; and if she will make a statement.

Barbara Follett: The Government Equalities Office does not store or process any personal data overseas.

Government Equalities Office

Philip Davies: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality how much has been spent by the Government Equalities Office  (a) in total and  (b) on staff costs on promoting equality and diversity since it was established; and how many people are employed by the Office for this purpose.

Barbara Follett: The formation of the Government Equalities Office was announced on 26 July this year. In the 2007-08 financial year it, and its predecessor organisation, have spent £51.54 million in total to date.
	Of this amount, £48.63 million was used to fund the Equality and Human Rights Commission, the Women's National Commission and the former Commissions for Racial Equality and Equal Opportunity.
	As all of the work that the GEO does is concerned with promoting equality and diversity all 61 of its permanent staff and six temporary staff are employed for this purpose.
	In the 2007-08 financial year the GEO staff costs amounted to £1.94 million from 1 April to 30 November. This figure excludes staff costs paid by the commissions aforementioned.
	The GEO currently has 61 permanent staff and six temporary staff in post. This excludes Private Office and the costs of legal staff working alongside the Office.
	Figures are rounded to the nearest £10,000. Full-year figures are included as normal accounting conventions require them to be accounted for on a full-year basis.

Departmental Databases

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what audits his Department and its agencies have carried out in relation to personal data and IT equipment in each of the last 10 years.

Shaun Woodward: Northern Ireland Office has not performed any auditing of personal data in the last 10 years. In each of the last 10 years, my Department has maintained an asset register of IT equipment.
	Internal Audit has not carried out specific audits of IT equipment. It has carried out the following audits of asset management which includes IT equipment within the scope.
	NI Prison Service asset management audits in 2002-03 and in 2006-07
	NIO core Department, an asset management audit was carried out in 2000-01
	Audit logs of the following actions are maintained on our accredited systems.
	System File access
	Printing
	Internet Access
	Email
	User Accounts
	These audit logs are monitored on a weekly basis. However, this is one of the areas that will be investigated during the 2(nd) phase of the data handling procedures in Government review.

Rape

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many recorded rapes there were in Northern Ireland in each of the last 10 years, and what percentage of those recorded rapes led to a conviction in each of those years, broken down by Police Service of Northern Ireland District Command Units.

Paul Goggins: Government is committed to improving the rates of successful prosecution in rape cases. Specialist police units, staffed by highly skilled and trained personnel, are dedicated to enhancing the service to victims of rape and sexual assault and both PSNI and the Public Prosecution Service are seeking to develop models of best investigative practice so that more offences can achieve the threshold for prosecution.
	The Northern Ireland Office and the Department of Health and Social and Personal Services have also jointly developed, and consulted on, a draft regional strategy for addressing sexual violence in Northern Ireland which will address these issues through a robust action plan delivering on strategic objectives in three key areas—crime prevention, better victim support and improved protection and justice measures. The strategy is to be published this spring.
	Table 1 shows the number of rapes (including attempts) recorded by PSNI from 2001-02 to 2006-07 by DCU. As the DCU structure was only introduced in 2001-02, it is not possible to provide a breakdown by DCU prior to this year.
	Table 2 shows the number of prosecutions, convictions and percentage conviction rate for rape by District Command Unit from 2000 to 2005 (the years for which figures are available).
	Data are collated on the basis of the principal offence; so only the most serious offence with which an offender is charged is included.
	It is not possible routinely to reconcile recorded crime data from PSNI with prosecution and conviction data. Data from PSNI relate to the number of offences, whereas data on prosecutions and convictions relate to the number of offenders brought before the courts. In addition, PSNI data denote each offence as it has been initially recorded, and this may differ from the offence for which a suspect or suspects are subsequently proceeded against in the courts. I therefore regret that a direct comparison between recorded rape and convictions for rape cannot easily be made.
	
		
			  Table 1: Number of rapes (including attempts) recorded by PSNI from 2001-02 to 2006-07 by District Command Unit 
			  District Command Unit  Recorded 2001-02  Recorded 2002-03  Recorded 2003-04  Recorded 2004-05  Recorded 2005-06  Recorded 2006-07 
			 Antrim 8 8 10 7 17 16 
			 Ards 6 15 14 18 15 20 
			 East Belfast 14 12 12 17 15 21 
			 North Belfast 19 22 34 29 28 25 
			 South Belfast 28 25 32 22 31 39 
			 West Belfast 11 14 24 15 11 25 
			 Carrickfergus 1 3 6 6 4 8 
			 Castlereagh 13 9 7 3 7 8 
			 Down 8 17 11 9 18 15 
			 Lisburn 15 20 26 22 24 29 
			 Newtownabbey 8 11 10 19 20 20 
			 North Down 13 8 22 12 16 18 
			 Urban region 144 164 208 179 206 244 
			
			 Armagh 9 3 2 10 10 9 
			 Ballymena 8 19 20 18 17 13 
			 Ballymoney 0 5 5 4 3 1 
			 Banbridge 8 10 10 11 4 9 
			 Coleraine 9 18 16 10 15 18 
			 Cookstown 6 6 3 3 3 6 
			 Craigavon 20 18 19 18 20 17 
			 Dungannon and South Tyrone 8 7 6 8 6 12 
			 Fermanagh 4 7 9 8 10 15 
			 Foyle 32 44 35 44 36 40 
			 Larne 7 10 9 11 6 3 
			 Limavady 8 7 10 11 6 9 
			 Magherafelt 6 8 5 5 7 13 
			 Moyle 3 5 5 3 3 0 
			 Newry and Mourne 9 7 17 14 18 21 
			 Omagh 5 12 5 11 17 16 
			 Strabane 6 7 11 12 4 11 
			 Rural region 148 193 187 201 185 213 
			
			 Total 292 357 395 380 391 457 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Prosecutions, convictions and percentage conviction rate for rape by District Command Unit in the calendar years 2000- 0 5( 1) 
			  District Command Unit  2000  2001 
			   Prosecutions  Convictions  Percentage convictions  Prosecutions  Convictions  Percentage convictions 
			 Antrim 0 0 — 1 1 100 
			 Ards 0 0 — 1 0 0 
			 Armagh 0 0 — 0 0 — 
			 Banbridge 0 0 — 1 1 100 
			 Belfast East 1 0 0 2 1 50 
			 Belfast North 2 1 50 3 2 67 
			 Belfast South 1 1 100 1 1 100 
			 Belfast West 1 0 0 0 0 — 
			 Ballymena 0 0 — 1 0 0 
			 Ballymoney 0 0 — 0 0 — 
			 Carrickfergus 0 0 — 0 0 — 
			 Coleraine 1 0 0 1 1 100 
			 Cookstown 1 0 0 1 1 100 
			 Craigavon 1 0 0 1 0 0 
			 Castlereagh 1 1 100 0 0 — 
			 Dungannon and South Tyrone 0 0 — 2 0 0 
			 Down 1 1 100 0 0 — 
			 Fermanagh 0 0 — 0 0 — 
			 Foyle 0 0 — 3 0 0 
			 Larne 3 1 33 0 0 — 
			 Limavady 1 0 0 0 0 — 
			 Lisburn 1 1 100 1 0 0 
			 Magherafelt 1 0 0 0 0 — 
			 Moyle 0 0 — 0 0 — 
			 Newtownabbey 1 1 100 2 0 0 
			 North Down 0 0 — 1 0 0 
			 Newry and Mourne 3 0 0 2 1 50 
			 Omagh 0 0 — 0 0 — 
			 Strabane 0 0 — 4 3 75 
			 Missing 0 0 — 0 0 — 
			 Total 20 7 35 28 12 43 
		
	
	
		
			  District Command Unit  2002  2003 
			   Prosecutions  Convictions  Percentage convictions  Prosecutions  Convictions  Percentage convictions 
			 Antrim 1 0 0 0 0 — 
			 Ards 1 0 0 2 1 50 
			 Armagh 1 0 0 0 0 — 
			 Banbridge 0 0 — 0 0 — 
			 Belfast East 3 1 33 0 0 — 
			 Belfast North 4 3 75 1 0 0 
			 Belfast South 3 2 67 4 1 25 
			 Belfast West 0 0 — 1 1 100 
			 Ballymena 0 0 — 1 0 0 
			 Ballymoney 0 0 — 0 0 — 
			 Carrickfergus 0 0 — 0 0 — 
			 Coleraine 0 0 — 2 1 50 
			 Cookstown 0 0 — 2 0 0 
			 Craigavon 0 0 — 0 0 — 
			 Castlereagh 0 0 — 1 0 0 
			 Dungannon and South Tyrone 0 0 — 1 0 0 
			 Down 1 1 100 1 0 0 
			 Fermanagh 0 0 — 2 0 0 
			 Foyle 2 1 50 1 1 100 
			 Larne 0 0 — 1 0 0 
			 Limavady 0 0 — 0 0 — 
			 Lisburn 0 0 — 2 1 50 
			 Magherafelt 0 0 — 0 0 — 
			 Moyle 2 0 0 0 0 — 
			 Newtownabbey 0 0 — 1 1 100 
			 North Down 1 o 0 1 0 0 
			 Newry and Mourne 3 0 0 0 0 — 
			 Omagh 0 0 — 1 0 0 
			 Strabane 1 0 0 1 1 100 
			 Missing 2 0 0 0 0 — 
			 Total 25 8 32 26 8 31 
		
	
	
		
			  District Command Unit  2004  2005 
			   Prosecutions  Convictions  Percentage Convictions  Prosecutions  Convictions  Percentage convictions 
			 Antrim 2 2 100 1 0 0 
			 Ards 2 1 50 0 0 — 
			 Armagh 0 0 — 2 0 0 
			 Banbridge 1 0 0 0 0 — 
			 Belfast East 0 0 — 0 0 — 
			 Belfast North 3 0 0 0 0 — 
			 Belfast South 4 3 75 1 1 100 
			 Belfast West 1 0 0 1 0 0 
			 Ballymena 2 1 50 2 1 50 
			 Ballymoney 0 0 — 0 0 — 
			 Carrickfergus 0 0 — 1 0 0 
			 Coleraine 2 2 100 0 0 — 
			 Cookstown 0 0 — 0 0 — 
			 Craigavon 1 1 100 2 0 0 
			 Castlereagh 0 0 — 1 0 0 
			 Dungannon and South Tyrone 0 0 — 0 0 — 
			 Down 0 0 — 0 0 — 
			 Fermanagh 0 0 — 0 0 — 
			 Foyle 4 4 100 1 0 0 
			 Larne 0 0 — 1 0 0 
			 Limavady 0 0 — 0 0 — 
			 Lisburn 1 0 0 2 0 0 
			 Magherafelt 1 0 0 0 0 — 
			 Moyle 0 0 — 0 0 — 
			 Newtownabbey 1 1 100 3 1 33 
			 North Down 0 0 — 1 0 0 
			 Newry and Mourne 0 0 — 1 0 0 
			 Omagh 1 0 0 0 0 — 
			 Strabane 1 0 0 1 1 100 
			 Missing 2 0 0 0 0 — 
			 Total 29 15 52 21 4 19 
			 (1) Missing data relate to those offenders for whom DCU information is not available.

Sports: Databases

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate he has made of the percentage of all UK sports facilities that are currently on the Active Places database; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Unfortunately it is not possible to estimate the percentage of UK sports facilities on Active Places, as it is only applicable to England. The database currently holds information on 11 sport facility types. Sport England estimate that over 80 per cent. of formal sport in England takes places on these types of facilities and that Active Places database includes over 90 per cent. of these facilities. The Sports Council for Northern Ireland has developed their own version of Active Places and the Sports Council for Wales are currently developing a version as well.

Regional Government: Ministers

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will list the constituencies visited by the Minister for  (a) the North East,  (b) the North West,  (c) Yorkshire and the Humber,  (d) London,  (e) the South East,  (f) the South West,  (g) the East Midlands,  (h) the West Midlands and  (i) the East of England in their capacity as regional Ministers.  [Official Report, 31 March 2008, Vol. 474, c. 5MC.]

Hazel Blears: In their capacity as regional Minister, the Minister for the region has visited or attended meetings in the following constituencies. Due to the role of regional Minister, which involves regional or sub-regional meetings, the Minister may not have visited a constituency per se, but attended a meeting held in that area.
	 (a) North East
	Blaydon
	City of Durham
	Easington
	Hexham
	Houghton and Washington East
	Jarrow
	Middlesbrough
	Newcastle Central
	Newcastle East and Wallsend
	Newcastle upon Tyne North
	North Durham
	North Tyneside
	Redcar
	Stockton North
	Stockton South
	Sunderland North
	Sunderland South
	Tyne Bridge
	Wansbeck.
	 (b) North West
	Blackburn
	Bolton South East
	Bootle
	Burnley
	Ellesmere Port and Neston
	Knowsley South
	Liverpool Riverside
	Liverpool Walton
	Liverpool West Derby
	Manchester Central
	Penrith & The Border
	Preston
	Salford
	St Helens North
	Warrington South
	Westmorland and Lonsdale.
	 (c) Yorkshire and the Humber
	Barnsley Central
	Bradford West
	Don Valley
	Doncaster Central
	Doncaster North
	Hull North
	Hull West and Hessle
	Leeds Central
	Ryedale
	Scarborough and Whitby
	Wakefield.
	 (d) London
	Cities of London and Westminster
	Hammersmith and Fulham
	North Southwark and Bermondsey
	West Ham.
	 (e) South East
	Aylesbury
	Buckingham
	Guildford
	Dover
	Folkstone & Hythe
	Hastings & Rye
	Lewes
	Maidstone & the Weald
	Mole Valley
	New Forest West
	Portsmouth South
	Reading East
	Reading West
	Thanet South
	Tonbridge & Malling
	Winchester.
	 (f) South West
	Bournemouth East
	Bournemouth West
	Bristol East
	Bristol NW
	Bristol West
	Cheltenham
	Exeter
	Gloucester
	Kingswood
	Mid Dorset & North Poole
	Plymouth Devonport
	Poole
	Swindon North
	Swindon South
	Taunton
	Tewkesbury
	Truro & St Austell
	Wells.
	 (g) East Midlands
	Boston and Skegness
	Corby
	Derby South
	Grantham & Stamford
	Kettering
	Leicester East
	Leicester South
	Leicester West
	Lincoln
	Louth and Horncastle
	Newark
	North West Leicestershire
	Northampton South
	Nottingham East
	Nottingham South
	Rushcliffe
	Sherwood.
	 (h) West Midlands
	Birmingham Ladywood
	Birmingham Northfield
	Bromyard
	Coventry North East
	Coventry South
	Ludlow
	Newcastle-Under-Lyme
	North Warwickshire.
	Stoke-on-Trent Central
	Stratford-on-Avon
	Telford
	West Bromwich East
	West Worcestershire
	Wolverhampton South West.
	 (i) East of England
	Bury St Edmunds
	Cambridge
	Great Yarmouth
	Ipswich
	Norwich South
	Peterborough
	Poplar & Canning Town
	South Cambridgeshire
	Stevenage
	Waveney
	West Suffolk.

Urban Areas: Sustainable Development

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the implications for infrastructure provision of each eco-town proposal.

Yvette Cooper: We are currently undertaking a cross-government review of the eco-towns expressions of interest and expect publish proposals in the spring. As part of the review, we are assessing proposals against the criteria set out in the Eco-town, and this includes transport, land use and the infrastructure needed to make the development deliverable and sustainable.

EU External Trade

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps he is taking to ensure that the European Commission observes World Trade Organisation rules on  (a) most favoured nation and  (b) Singapore terms clauses within European partnership agreement negotiations. [R]

Gareth Thomas: The recently agreed Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) between the EU and African, Caribbean and Pacific countries are compatible with the World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules on Free Trade Areas in Article XXIV of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade. There are no WTO rules on Investment, Competition, Transparency in Government Procurement and Trade Facilitation (otherwise known as the Singapore Issues) or on Most Favoured Nation clauses in free trade agreements.

Zimbabwe: Migration

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of 18 December 2007,  Official Report, column 1234W, on Zimbabwe: asylum, what assistance is being provided to  (a) Zambia,  (b) Mozambique and  (c) Botswana to assist in dealing with immigrants from Zimbabwe.

Gareth Thomas: The information is as follows.
	 Zambia
	The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) has recently undertaken a rapid assessment of the patterns and impact of Zimbabwean migrants at the Chirundu border post. Depending on the results of the survey, DFID Zambia will consider funding an IOM support centre at the border post to provide humanitarian assistance to irregular migrants and other vulnerable groups in the area.
	 Mozambique
	I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 30 October 2007,  Official Report, column 1063W. As yet there has been no authoritative assessment on the numbers of Zimbabwean immigrants in Mozambique. Cross border movements continue and IOM, Save the Children and UNICEF are monitoring the situation. UNHCR stand ready to help anyone that registers as a refugee, but as yet no one has. DFID Mozambique also stands ready to assist and is currently assessing the needs of those worst affected by the floods in the areas bordering Zimbabwe.
	 Botswana
	IOM are constructing a reception centre on the border to provide humanitarian assistance to Zimbabweans deported from Botswana. In line with the centre at Beitbridge in South Africa, referred to in my answer of 18 December 2007,  Official Report, column 1234W, the centre will provide a meal, medical check up, transport home and information on safe migration.

Departmental Email

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will take steps to reduce the number of hard copies of e-mails printed by officials in his Department.

Phil Hope: Cabinet Office is continuing to undertake a number of measures to mitigate the unnecessary printing of e-mails.
	The Department has adopted an electronic records management system. This system will eliminate the need to print documents for filing, significantly reducing the number of e-mails which are printed. The roll-out of the system is estimated to be complete by March 2008.
	Staff are encouraged to include a message on all electronic correspondence discouraging the recipient from printing the e-mail unless absolutely necessary.

Child Support Agency: Manpower

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people are employed by the Child Support Agency to process special payments.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is the matter for the chief executive. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 21 January 2008:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people are employed by the Child Support Agency to process special payments.
	The Agency has two methods of processing special payments. If a payment is made as part of a response to a complaint or as an action on a case which the Agency is administering clerically, the payment is made by the caseworkers in these areas along with their other duties.
	Special payments which do not arise from a complaint are currently dealt with by a central team of around 24 full time equivalent employees.
	I hope you find this answer helpful.

Departmental Pay

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 10 December 2007,  Official Report, column 188W, on departmental pay, how many of those earning over £100,000 were employed  (a) as special advisers and  (b) in a political role in each year since 2002.

Anne McGuire: Since 2003, the Government have published on an annual basis the number of special advisers in each pay band. For the most recent information I refer the hon. Member to the statement made by my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister on Thursday 22 November 2007,  Official Report, 147-51WS.
	Information on the numbers and costs of special advisers prior to 2003 was provided at regular intervals and this information will be available in the Library of the House.

Health and Safety

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what guidance and training his Department provides to employers on health and wellbeing in the workplace.

Anne McGuire: Employers are central to our aspirations of improving the health of the working age population and helping more people with health conditions and disabilities to find and keep work. As such, a key focus of the cross-government Health, Work and Well-being Strategy is engaging and supporting business. Practical support provided has included supporting Institute of Directors' guidance on managing workplace well-being; the Health and Safety Executive's (HSE) Workplace Health Connect pilot, which has been testing the provision of free occupational health and return to work advice to smaller and medium-sized employers; and Shift's "Action on Stigma" campaign, which has developed resources to help line managers deal with employees with mental health conditions. We have also announced our intention to pilot a new advice and support service for employers, specifically focused on managing staff suffering from mental ill-health.
	This programme builds on the core activity of the HSE which works with employers and trade unions to make workplaces healthier and reduce the likelihood of injury and ill-health being caused by work. HSE provides a wide range of free and priced written guidance on the management of health and safety, as well as an extensive website. In addition, HSE's public enquiry telephone contact centre, Infoline, provides access to workplace health and safety information, guidance and expert advice.
	DWP has also set up a Vocational Rehabilitation Task Group to look at the best ways of encouraging and supporting employers to provide good quality rehabilitative services to their staff. The task group has commissioned an evidence review to assess the impact and cost-effectiveness of such interventions, which will help to guide employers.

Industrial Accidents: Death

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many work-related deaths in  (a) Scotland and  (b) the UK were not investigated by the Health and Safety Executive in the last five years.

Anne McGuire: All work-related deaths in Scotland, in the last five years, have been investigated by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
	All work-related deaths in the rest of the Great Britain (i.e. England and Wales), in the last five years, have been investigated by the HSE. HSE cannot provide statistics for Northern Ireland as they are not responsible for workplace Health and Safety in this country.
	The above work-related deaths are those which are reportable to the HSE under The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995 (RIDDOR).

International Labour Organisation: Anniversaries

Denis MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to mark the 90th anniversary of the founding of the International Labour Organisation in 2009.

James Plaskitt: The United Kingdom has played a significant role in the work of the International Labour Organisation since it was created in 1919; and the Government will, over the course of 2008, consider proposals to mark the 90 anniversary of its founding, including the possibility of national events.

Personal Accounts: Consultants

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much has been paid by his Department to consultants for advice on the implementation of the personal accounts system.

Mike O'Brien: The implementation of the personal accounts system has not yet started. Expenditure has been incurred by DWP on operational implications of the policy and legislation for the Government's proposed reform of non-state pensions, including the framework for the personal accounts scheme. Expenditure on consultancy advice has amounted to £6,604,522 up to the end of October 2007

Social Security Benefits

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people are employed in the official error taskforce; how much is paid in salaries annually to staff in the taskforce; how many cases in relation to each type of benefit the official error taskforce has corrected in each week since its creation; and what the cost was of official error in relation to each type of benefit corrected by the taskforce in each week since its creation.

James Plaskitt: The official error taskforce has developed and oversees a programme of error reduction and correction initiatives. There are currently 10 members of staff on the taskforce, participating on a part-time basis alongside their normal duties. The proportion of time spent on the taskforce varies between members with annual salary costs attributable to task force duties amounting to £47,000.
	By September 2007, the taskforce programme has resulted in over 100,000 income support and jobseeker's allowance, and over 74,000 pension credit cases being reviewed with cumulative weekly errors totalling over £1.2 million having been corrected in income support and jobseeker's allowance cases and over £1.1 million in pension credit cases.

Social Security Benefits: Prisoners

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department is taking to tackle fraud and errors in payment in benefits paid to prisoners.

James Plaskitt: It is the responsibility of benefit recipients to advise the Department if they are committed to prison. However, we recognise that not all prisoners do notify us of this, so we have processes in place for HM Prison Service and the Scottish Prison Service, to send us data on admissions so we can identify prisoners who are receiving benefits to which they are no longer entitled. From December 2006, the frequency of this data was increased from monthly to weekly. In 2006-07, nearly 8,000 cases were corrected as a result of this type of data matching. This led to us identifying over £2.2 million in recoverable overpayments.
	Jobcentre Plus has also introduced employment benefit surgeries across the prison estate, to assist prisoners in closing down benefit claims efficiently on entry into custody.

Alcoholic Drinks: Death

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to the answer of 27 February 2007,  Official Report, columns 1287-89W, on alcoholic drinks: death, when the figures for the number of deaths with an alcohol-related underlying cause in 2006 and 2007 will be available; and if he will make a statement.

Angela Eagle: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 21 January 2008:
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent question asking, with reference to the Answer of 27th February 2007, Official Report, columns 1287-9W, on alcoholic drinks: death, when figures for the number of deaths with an alcohol-related underlying cause in 2006 and 2007 will be available. I am replying in her absence. (179660)
	Figures on alcohol-related deaths registered in 2006 are now available, and the tables attached provide the number of deaths with an alcohol-related underlying cause in each (a) London borough and (b) Government Office Region and Wales, in 2006. The corresponding figures for deaths registered in 2007 are expected to be available in June 2008.
	
		
			  Table 1. Number of deaths with an alcohol-related underlying cause of death,( 1)  London boroughs, 2006( 2) 
			   Deaths (persons) 
			 Inner London 325 
			 Camden 36 
			 City of London 0 
			 Hackney 22 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 22 
			 Haringey 25 
			 Islington 27 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 18 
			 Lambeth 37 
			 Lewisham 17 
			 Newham 28 
			 Southwark 32 
			 Tower Hamlets 16 
			 Wandsworth 22 
			 Westminster 23 
			   
			 Outer London 499 
			 Barking and Dagenham 15 
			 Barnet 29 
			 Bexley 22 
			 Brent 46 
			 Bromley 25 
			 Croydon 42 
			 Ealing 31 
			 Enfield 38 
			 Greenwich 42 
			 Harrow 12 
			 Havering 19 
			 Hillingdon 45 
			 Hounslow 27 
			 Kingston upon Thames 17 
			 Merton 11 
			 Redbridge 25 
			 Richmond upon Thames 19 
			 Sutton 12 
			 Waltham Forest 22 
			 (1) Cause of death was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10). The specific causes of death categorised as alcohol-related, and their corresponding ICD-10 codes, are shown in the box below. (2) Figures are for deaths registered in each calendar year. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2. Number of deaths with an alcohol-related underlying cause of death,( 1 ) Government Office Regions and Wales, 2006( 2) 
			   Deaths (persons) 
			 North East 435 
			 North West 1,209 
			 Yorkshire and The Humber 679 
			 East Midlands 505 
			 West Midlands 801 
			 East of England 556 
			 London 824 
			 South East 921 
			 South West 587 
			 Wales 430 
			 (1) Cause of death was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10). The specific causes of death categorised as alcohol-related, and their corresponding ICD-10 codes, are shown in the box below. (2) Figures are for deaths registered in each calendar year. 
		
	
	
		
			  Box 1. Alcohol-related causes of death—International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) 
			  Cause of death  ICD-10 code(s) 
			 Mental and behavioural disorders due to use of alcohol F10 
			 Degeneration of nervous system due to alcohol G31.2 
			 Alcoholic polyneuropathy G62.1 
			 Alcoholic cardiomyopathy I42.6 
			 Alcoholic gastritis K29.2 
			 Alcoholic liver disease K70 
			 Chronic hepatitis, not elsewhere classified K73 
			 Fibrosis and cirrhosis of liver (excl. Biliary cirrhosis) K74 (excl. K74.3-K74.5) 
			 Alcohol induced chronic pancreatitis K86.0 
			 Accidental poisoning by and exposure to alcohol X45 
			 Intentional self-poisoning by and exposure to alcohol X65 
			 Poisoning by and exposure to alcohol, undetermined intent Y15

EC Trade: Job Creation

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of UK jobs which are contingent upon UK exports to the EU.

Angela Eagle: The Government estimate around 3&frac12; million jobs in the UK are linked, directly and indirectly, to the export of goods and services to the European Union.

Pay: Public Sector

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the evidential basis is for a restriction of public sector pay increases to two per cent. or less to contribute to an inflation rate below two per cent.

Andy Burnham: The Government are committed to continuing to support public sector workers in their efforts to deliver the best possible public services. Over the last 10 years, the Government have therefore sought to increase the number of frontline workers as well as their pay. In particular, the period January 2000 to January 2006 saw an increase of 29.4 per cent. in public sector average earnings, which compares to 23.8 per cent. in the private sector over the same period.
	The Government's objectives for public sector pay settlements are that they should be consistent with maintaining the necessary levels of recruitment, retention and staff engagement needed to support service delivery; ensuring that total pay bills represent value for money and are affordable within Departments' overall expenditure plans; and consistent with the Government's achievement of the inflation target of 2 per cent.
	Wage pressures are one of the factors considered by the monetary policy committee of the Bank of England when setting interest rates to meet the inflation target.

Pensioners: Inflation

Kate Hoey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 12 December 2007,  Official Report, column 605W, on pensioners: inflation, what the components are of the retail price index basket of goods and services; and how they are weighted.

Angela Eagle: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 21 January 2008:
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your parliamentary question asking (i) what the components of the retail price index basket of goods and services are; and (ii) how they are weighted. I am replying in her absence. (180287)
	The CPI and the RPI measure changes from month to month in the cost of a representative 'basket' of goods and services bought by consumers. Each year the ONS reviews the RPI and CPI basket of goods and services and updates the weights used to aggregate price changes, to ensure the selection of products in the basket and their weights remain representative of the overall pattern of expenditure of the average household covered by the published indices.
	There are some goods and services where household expenditure is sufficiently large that they merit inclusion in the basket in their own right: examples include petrol and telephone charges. More commonly, it is necessary to select a sample of specific goods and services that can give a reliable measure of price movements for a broader range of similar items. For example, price changes for garden spades might be considered representative of price changes for other garden tools.
	The components of the 2007 RPI and CPI basket of goods and services are shown in this article, available on the National Statistics website. Please see Annex B of:
	Damon Wingfield (2007) "CPI and RPI: The 2007 Basket of Goods and Services"
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/CCI/article.asp?ID=1746
	Each item in the index is weighted to reflect the proportion of household expenditure spent on them. Changes in the weights of components over time reflect changes in the expenditure pattern of households. The underlying data source for the weights for both the RPI and CPI is ONS's Expenditure and Food Survey (EPS). The EPS is a continuous household survey which monitors the spending patterns of around 6,000 households across the country each year.
	For further information on how the items are weighted you may wish to reference the publication by David Baran "Consumer Prices Index and Retail Prices Index: Updating Weights for 2007".
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/articles/nojournal/CPI&RPI_2007_weights_article.pdf

Work for Change Programme

Robert Key: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library a copy of HM Revenue and Customs initial impact assessment of socio-economic factors in its Work for Change programme.

Jane Kennedy: There is no initial impact assessment for the Workforce Change programme as a whole.
	Socio-economic issues are among the factors reflected in the impact assessments for specific buildings published 12 to 18 months before a building is due to be fully vacated. These impact assessments are already available, both internally to staff and externally on the HMRC website:
	www.hmrc.gov.uk

Afghanistan

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the personnel and material provided to UK armed forces in Afghanistan by other members of NATO.

Des Browne: UK armed forces in Afghanistan are ably supported by other members of NATO, both in terms of personnel and materiel.

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  pursuant to the statement by the Prime Minister of 12 December 2007,  Official Report, column 305, on Afghanistan, whether the 5,000 former fighters were part of the Program-Tachim-e Sol' scheme;
	(2)  pursuant to the statement by the Prime Minister on 12 December 2007,  Official Report, column 305W, on Afghanistan, whether the 5,000 former fighters who have laid down their arms were part of the Program-Tachim-e Sol' scheme.

Des Browne: The Program-Tachim-e Sol' is owned by the Government of Afghanistan, who advise that the majority of the 5,000 former fighter referred to by the Prime Minister were part of this scheme.

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many UK helicopters with hoists for medical support there are in theatre in  (a) Afghanistan and  (b) Iraq.

Bob Ainsworth: holding answer 17 January 2008
	In both Iraq and Afghanistan, all UK helicopters that are deployed as part of the immediate response teams, which provide the medical evacuation capability, are equipped with hoists.

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence who will take over from the 52 Brigade in Afghanistan; and what changeover date  (a) was originally planned and  (b) is expected to be.

Des Browne: I shall inform the House of the units to deploy in due course.

Armed Forces: Driving

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether British military personnel are required to hold the relevant British driving licence for the relevant category while driving different vehicles in theatre.

Bob Ainsworth: Not all military vehicles are included in British driver licencing regulations. Personnel are required to hold the appropriate licence for the weight of the vehicles they will be driving while in theatre. Additionally, all drivers are required to undertake specific training on those vehicles which they will be required to drive.

Armed Forces: Housing

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what  (a) recent discussions he has had on and  (b) steps he is taking to make his Department's (i) housing procurement strategy, (ii) refurbishment programme and (iii) emergency repairs functions more efficient.

Derek Twigg: Defence Ministers are taking an active lead in the work being done on accommodation—this involves frequent meetings, briefings and site visits with stakeholders, service personnel and other interested parties. We want to ensure a step-change and to drive forward further work on upgrading and improving accommodation, including repair and maintenance.
	In recent years a single Housing Prime Contract (HPC) has been set-up covering the maintenance of some 45,000 service families accommodation (SFA) in England and Wales, which replaced hundreds of previous contracts. The HPC helpline ensures that emergency calls are responded to quickly with nearly all emergency repairs now being effected within the required timescales. Since 2003 SFA in Scotland has been maintained as part of the Regional Prime Contract.
	In a similar timeframe, Project Single Living Accommodation Modernisation (SLAM) was launched to deliver new en-suite SLA across the UK together with several parallel PFI projects. These initiatives have resulted in 12,000 SFA and 20,000 SLA being upgraded since 2002 and have increased the efficiency of delivery.
	We are also developing an Estate Development Plan which will help us ensure we have an estate of the right size and quality.

Armed Forces: Housing

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the Government expect all service accommodation to be at an acceptable standard at the planned rate of improvement.

Derek Twigg: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is committed to providing decent accommodation for service personnel and their families. Addressing accommodation issues globally is one of our top priorities, but will take time as there is no quick fix to dealing with a legacy of decades of under funding.
	Defence Estates is currently working with the armed forces on a long-term Estate Development Plan. This will allow us to identify future requirements and timescales for implementation.
	Over 12,000 service families accommodation have been upgraded in the last six years. The current funded programme is expected to deliver 600 upgrades this financial year, 600 next year and some 800 for each year thereafter.
	In addition, since 2001, some 20,000 new or improved single living accommodation bed-spaces have been delivered with a further 30,000 planned by 2013.

Armed Forces: Mental Health Services

Richard Younger-Ross: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what research his Department has commissioned on the causes and prevention of combat stress.

Derek Twigg: MOD has funded the King's College London Centre for Military Health Research (KCMHR) to undertake major research into the health of those who have served on recent operations in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Many of their findings have already been published in the peer-reviewed medical literature, including major pieces of work published in 2006. This research showed that there was no increase in psychiatric disorders seen in regular personnel deployed on the first phase of Op. Telic compared to the rest of the UK armed forces, and that the later Op. Telic deployments examined were not associated with any worsening of mental health consequence compared to the initial Op. Telic group.
	Within KCMHR, the Academic Centre for Defence Mental Health has been established as an in-house mental health research resource which is looking into a variety of smaller scale aspects of dealing with the mental health of service personnel.
	A Tri-Service Overarching Review of Operational Stress Management was carried out in 2004-05 which recognised the issues surrounding operational and combat stress. The armed forces were tasked with adopting its recommendations as appropriate within their single-service provisions.

Armed Forces: Pay

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 18 December 2007,  Official Report, column 1449W, on armed forces pay, what the change was of the lowest increase in armed forces salaries against the retail price index; and which rank this was in relation to.

Derek Twigg: I refer the hon. Member to the answer my right hon. Friend, the Minister for the Armed Forces (Mr. Ainsworth) gave him on 18 December 2007,  Official Report, column 1449W, the average salary, on armed forces pay, is not available by rank and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	Illustrative rates for military salaries (excluding allowances) are, however, published by DASA in table 2.26 of United Kingdom Defence Statistics. These show the rates for each rank for that pay level with the largest number of people at 1 May 2005. As such, they do not reflect all the possible changes to the various pay levels within a rank, nor the movements between increments which individual servicemen receive.
	The following table shows the year-on-year percentage changes derived from these figures rounded to one decimal place. The ranks are shown in terms of Army ranks.
	
		
			2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  Compounded over period 
			 General Level 1 2.5 2.3 2.8 7.5 6.3 23.2 
			 Brigadier Level 3 3.7 3.5 2.5 3.0 3.0 16.7 
			 Colonel Level 1 3.7 3.5 2.5 3.0 3.0 16.7 
			 Lieutenant Colonel Level 9 3.7 3.5 2.5 3.0 3.0 16.7 
			 
			 Major Level 9 4.2 3.5 2.5 3.0 3.0 17.3 
			 Captain Level 2 4.2 3.5 2.5 3.0 3.0 17.3 
			 Lieutenant Level 8 3.7 3.5 2.5 3.0 3.0 16.7 
			 2nd Lieutenant Level 5 3.7 3.5 2.5 3.0 3.0 16.7 
			 
			 Warrant Officer I Level 4 H1 4.4 3.5 2.5 3.0 3.0 17.5 
			 Warrant Officer II Level 6 H 3.7 3.5 2.5 3.0 3.0 16.7 
			 Staff Sergeant Level 6 L1 3.7 5.5 2.5 3.0 3.0 19.0 
			 Sergeant Level 5 H 3.7 3.5 2.5 3.0 3.0 16.7 
			 
			 Corporal Level 3 H 3.7 3.5 2.5 3.0 3.0 16.7 
			 Lance Corporal Level 5 H 3.7 3.5 2.5 3.0 3.0 16.7 
			 Private Level 1 L1 4.2 4.0 2.9 3.0 3.3 18.7 
			  Note: Service personnel on these pay levels have at times received larger increases than colleagues on different spine points within the same pay range for their rank. This is the result of the Armed Forces Pay Review Body having targeted some groups with recommendations for higher pay increases than those aimed at the majority of their service colleagues. Note that the compounded increase over that period for each of the other pay levels within these ranks would be at least the 16.7 per cent. quoted for other ranks. 
		
	
	The changes in the retail prices index year-on-year are as set out in my answer on 18 December 2007,  Official Report, column 1449W.

Armed Forces: Schools

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the projected budget is for service children's education schools in  (a) 2008-09,  (b) 2009-10 and  (c) 2010-11.

Derek Twigg: The current projected resource control totals for service children's education for the next three financial years is as follows:
	
		
			   £ million 
			 2008-09 78.359 
			 2009-10 79.743 
			 2010-11 80.674

Colombia: Military Aid

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of UK military assistance to the Colombian security forces was committed to humanitarian de-mining programmes in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Bob Ainsworth: In financial year 2007-08 it is planned that approximately 8 per cent. of UK MOD financial assistance to Colombia will be focussed on humanitarian de-mining.

Colombia: Military Aid

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assistance his Department provided to the Colombian security forces in each of the last five years; what assistance he plans to provide in the future; what the cost was in each year; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Ainsworth: The following table provides the approximate cost of to the Department in assisting the Colombian security forces:
	
		
			  Financial year  £000 
			 2003-04 120 
			 2004-05 130 
			 2005-06 130 
			 2006-07 190 
			 2007-08 (1)190 
			 (1) Current estimate 
		
	
	This co-operation has been focussed on British military education to strengthen human rights values and professional conduct within the Colombian armed forces, and explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) training in order to reduce military and civilian deaths from explosive devices.
	We plan to maintain co-operation at a similar level over the next year. However, the provision of future assistance continues to be dependent on our being satisfied that no one receiving UK training is engaged in illegal activities or abuses. Furthermore, we cannot currently specify the precise nature of future assistance as this will also depend on a number of factors such as the availability of UK resources, the wishes of the Colombian Government, and an analysis of training needs.

Colombia: Military Aid

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he is taking to ensure that British military assistance to Colombia is restricted to humanitarian work; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Ainsworth: UK MOD co-operation with Colombia is focussed on three main areas: embedding human rights reforms within the Colombian armed forces in order to increase democratic accountability and minimise human rights abuses; explosive ordnance disposal training to reduce civilian and military casualties from explosive devices; and bespoke counter-narcotics assistance to stem the flow of illegal drugs to the UK and strengthen the rule of law in Colombia. All these areas of activity are aimed at reducing internal conflict in Colombia, thereby alleviating humanitarian suffering.

Departmental Procurement

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library copies of his Department's  (a) equipment and  (b) non-equipment vectors of final demand for each of the years 2002-03 to 2006-07.

Bob Ainsworth: The final demand vectors form one part of a complex methodology for deriving the estimates of UK employment dependent on MOD expenditure and defence exports, and associated breakdowns on MOD expenditure in UK industry and commerce. The latest aggregate information on the non equipment and equipment vectors is published by the Defence Analytical Services Agency (DASA) in Table 1.9a of "UK Defence Statistics 2007": a copy of which is available in the Library of the House.
	In isolation the raw underlying data used to construct these vectors will not reconcile to these final published estimates as a series of internal adjustments are made to the vectors prior to publication. Moreover, the vectors will also not reconcile to the published MOD resource accounts since they are constructed using cash rather than resource data. To correct these raw figures to make them consistent with published accounts would involve disproportionate cost.
	A full account of the methodology, associated caveats and descriptions of the data sources used to construct these vectors can be found in the DASA "Defence Statistics Bulletins Nos. 5 and 5A": both of which are available in the Library of the House.

Marines

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the peace establishment was of the 40 Commando Royal Marines before its deployment to Afghanistan; what the strength was of the Commando on deployment; how many reinforcements to the Commando were received from  (a) the regular Army,  (b) the Territorial Army,  (c) the Royal Navy and  (d) the Royal Marine Reserves; how many of all ranks were (i) left behind on recruitment duties, (ii) physically unfit to deploy and (iii) left behind in barracks to form a rear party; and what the Commando's battle casualty replacement policy is.

Bob Ainsworth: Prior to deploying to Afghanistan in September 2007, the peacetime establishment of 40 Commando Royal Marines was 700; the strength of 40 Cdo RM on deployment was less than 20 short of the peacetime establishment; there were no reinforcements from the Regular Army or the Royal Navy; fewer than 10 from the Territorial Army; 80 from the Royal Marine Reserves and Royal Naval Reserves. There were no individuals left behind in barracks on recruitment duties and on the date deployed fewer than 20 RMs remained in barracks unfit to deploy. Fewer than 30 RMs remained in barracks to form the rear party. Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 100 or where less than 100, to the nearest 10 as appropriate.
	The policy on battle casualty replacement was to utilise appropriately trained personnel identified in theatre. In order to rectify a deficiency arising in a specific skill, trained replacements would be requested and deployed forward from the United Kingdom.

Vetting

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 14 January 2008,  Official Report, column 891W, on vetting, which other Government Departments use the Defence Vetting Agency for vetting  (a) applicants for security clearance and  (b) employees.

Bob Ainsworth: The Defence Vetting Agency (DVA) undertakes the role of an approved Shared Service Provider for various Other Governments Departments (OGDs). The DVA reflects the relationship between itself and these repayment customers in a series of Customer Supplier Agreements. Applications for vetting can cover both direct employees and staff undergoing the recruitment process but also, contractor personnel engaged in support of Government approved contracts. The DVA presently conducts selected personnel security vetting inquiries for the following:
	British Telecommunications Plc
	Competition Commission
	Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service
	Crown Prosecution Service
	Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform
	Department for Children, Schools and Families
	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
	Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills
	Department for Transport
	Department for Work and Pensions
	Department of Culture, Media and Sport
	Department of Health
	ESTYN (HM Majesty's Inspectorate for Education and Training in Wales)
	Export Credits Guarantee Department
	Financial Services Authority
	Food Standards Agency
	Gambling Commission (parent organisation—Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
	Government Car and Despatch Agency
	Health and Safety Executive
	HM Revenue and Customs
	HM Treasury
	Home Office (incorporating the Association of Chief Police Officers)
	Metropolitan Police Service
	Ministry of Justice
	National Archives
	National Assembly for Wales
	National Audit Office
	Northern Ireland Office
	O2(UK) Plc
	Olympic Delivery Authority
	Office for Civil Nuclear Security
	Office for Standards in Education
	Office for the Gas and Electricity Markets
	Office of Communications
	Office of Fair Trading
	Office of Government Commerce
	Ordnance Survey
	Registers of Scotland
	Royal Mail Group
	Scottish Court Service
	Scottish Government
	Serious Fraud Office
	Stabilisation Unit (parent organisation—Department for International Development)
	The Treasury Solicitor.

World War II: Prisoners of War

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what information his Department holds on the amount of compensation paid by the German Government for British prisoners of war of the Second World War.

Derek Twigg: No money has been paid by the German authorities specifically to provide compensation for former British prisoners of war (POWs).
	In 1964, the then Federal Republic of Germany paid £1 million to the British Government to provide compensation for victims of Nazi persecution. The scheme focussed on survivors of Nazi Concentration Camps. Servicemen held as ordinary POWs and civilian internees held in non-concentration camps were excluded. In the late-1990s, a fund totalling some £3.3 billion was set up by the German Government and industry to make payments to those civilians who were forced labourers. Again, service personnel held as POWs were excluded.

Departmental Databases

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what requirements his Department and its agencies place on contractors in relation to audit of personal data and IT equipment.

Meg Munn: The only substantial contracts the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has for the processing of personal data are with two commercial partners responsible for the collection and administration of visa applications from foreign nationals wishing to travel to the UK. Both contracts contain clauses committing the partner to conformance with ISO27001, the international standard relating to the security of data systems, requiring auditable processes, and to compliance with the provisions of the Data Protection Act. The contracts also provide for surprise audits of partner premises by UKvisas. More generally, FCO model contracts contain specific clauses obliging the contractor to abide by the provisions of the Data Protection Act and empowering the FCO to ensure compliance.

Derek Pasquill: Official Secrets

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the classification of any of the documents disclosed by Mr. Derek Pasquill has been amended since the submission to the police of his Department's considered assessment of the damage caused to international relations under Section 3 of the Official Secrets Act 1989 by Mr. Pasquill's disclosures.

Meg Munn: None of the classifications have been changed.

Derek Pasquill: Official Secrets

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether Ministers approved, before it was presented to the police, the witness statement by his Department setting out its considered assessment of the damage caused to international relations under Section 3 of the Official Secrets Act 1989 by Mr. Derek Pasquill's disclosures.

Meg Munn: The witness statement was given by a senior Foreign and Commonwealth Office official on behalf of the Department. Foreign and Commonwealth Office Ministers were briefed on its contents.

Uzbekistan: Elections

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  what assessment his Department has made of the conduct of elections in Uzbekistan in December 2007;
	(2)  what discussions he has had with other countries on the conduct of elections in Uzbekistan in December 2007.

Jim Murphy: Our ambassador in Tashkent discussed the elections with other embassies, and took part in the EU heads of mission discussions on the outcome of the election.
	The EU issued a presidency statement on behalf of EU member states on 27 December 2007 which noted with concern that the presidential election did not meet many Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) commitments and other international standards for democratic elections, and that the recommendations issued by the OSCE/Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) after the 2004 parliamentary elections had not yet been implemented.
	ODIHR conducted a limited observation mission. They noted that there were more candidates than in previous presidential elections including a female and a non-partisan candidate. However, the electorate was deprived of a genuine choice as all the candidates publicly endorsed the incumbent.
	With our EU partners, we stand ready to assist Uzbekistan to co-operate with ODIHR to bring its election process and framework in line with OSCE commitments and other international standards for democratic elections.

Consumers: Finance

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what estimate he has made of the annual effect on costs for his Department resulting from the merger of Energy Watch, Post Watch and the National Consumer Council.

Gareth Thomas: The new National Consumer Council (NCC) will create a more effective and efficient system of consumer representation across markets, it is anticipated that any savings that result from the creation of the new NCC will accrue to industry (and ultimately consumers) and not to Government, as sectoral bodies are funded by the individual industries that, in turn, recover their costs from consumers.

Departmental Pay

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many and what proportion of his Department's staff are employed within each salary band; what the title and role of each position within each salary band is; and for each salary band what the  (a) bonus structure,  (b) retirement provision,  (c) expenses provision,  (d) total expenses incurred in each of the last 10 years,  (e) average age of employee,  (f) number of (i) women and (ii) men and  (g) ethnic composition is.

Gareth Thomas: The information is as follows:
	
		
			  Salary bands: BERR core staff in post (SIP) as at 1 November 2007 
			  Band  SIP Strength  Percentage of BERR core 
			 Senior civil service 164 6 
			 Band C 963 37 
			 Band B 920 35 
			 Band A 374 14 
			 Other (not aligned with pay range)(1) 216 8 
			 Total 2,637 — 
			 (1 )Includes staff in Business and Regulatory Reform who recently transferred from the Cabinet Office and whose grades are not yet aligned with the rest of the Department. 
		
	
	The title and range of each position varies according to the work of the individual staff member therefore it is not practical to give a complete breakdown. To summarise:
	Band A consists of four pay ranges (1-4) and generally includes those posts providing a support role to management either in operational or administrative areas.
	Band B consists of four pay ranges (5-8) and generally includes posts dealing with case work, desk officer functions, research and specialist subject work, policy support, junior management, some secretarial work and other executive type functions.
	Band C consists of three pay ranges (9-11) and includes posts with more senior advisory and policy responsibilities or wider ranging managerial functions.
	 Bonus structure
	 Non-civil service pay grades and bonus structure:
	 Pay grades
	Posts below senior civil service within the Department for Business, Enterprise, and Regulatory Reform are structured in generalist ranges. These are allocated in line with the Department's grading guidance which specifies the level of tasks required under each range. The ranges are not directly equivalent to the former civil service system of grades but are broadly comparable, as follows:
	
		
			  Former civil service grade  BERR Range 
			 Grade 6 11 
			 Grade 7 10 
			 SEO and equivalents 9 
			 HEO and equivalents 8 
			  7 
			 EO and equivalents 6 
			  5 
			 AO and equivalents 4 
			  3 
			 AA and equivalents 2 
		
	
	 Bonus structure
	There are two bonus structures; performance awards and special bonuses.
	Special bonuses recognise performance in particularly demanding tasks or situations. Staff in receipt of a special bonus may also receive a performance award. They are taxable, non-pensionable lump sum payments, which can be paid at any time of the year.
	Performance awards are linked to the annual staff appraisal system. At the end of each appraisal year staffs performance is assessed as highly successful, successful or improvement needed. Approximately 25 per cent. of staff receive a highly successful performance assessment and these get a performance award. These are paid as taxable, non-pensionable lump sum payments as part of annual pay awards. The following table shows the value of 2007 performance awards by range:
	
		
			  Range  HS performance award (£) 
			 2 650 
			 3 702 
			 4 754 
			 5 806 
			 6 858 
			 7 962 
			 8 1,040 
			 9 1,196 
			 10 1,612 
			 11 1,950 
			 FastStream 1,040 
		
	
	 Senior civil service pay and bonus structure:
	The Senior Salaries Review Body (SSRB) provides independent advice to the Government on the remuneration of the senior civil service (SCS). The Cabinet Office submits the Government's evidence to the SSRB for the annual pay round. Once a decision is made on whether to accept the SSRB recommendation, the Cabinet Office issues documentation on the SCS performance management and pay framework. Individual Departments then make awards of increases to base pay and of non-consolidated bonuses within the framework.
	 Retirement provision
	The normal retirement age for members of PCSPS is age 60. The Department provides a variety of early retirement schemes, although availability for release under these schemes is limited, and an ill-health retirement scheme.
	 Expenses provision
	The Department reimburses staff who have incurred expenses as part of their work for the Department e.g. travel and subsistence and relocation expenses. The cost of preparing an answer for the total expenses incurred over the past 10 years by band would be disproportionate to the benefit to be derived.
	
		
			  Age split by band 
			  Percentage group 
			  Band  25years and under  26-35 years  36-45 years  46-55 years  56+ years 
			 SCS 0 6 34 46 15 
			 Band C 0 18 36 35 11 
			 Band B 6 23 36 24 11 
			 Band A 5 11 34 29 22 
			 Other 21 39 18 9 12 
		
	
	
		
			  Gender split by band 
			  Band  Female percentage of band 
			 SCS 33 
			 Band C 38 
			 Band B 45 
			 Band A 63 
			 Other 49 
		
	
	
		
			  Ethnic composition 
			  Percentage of band SIP 
			  Band  Black and minority ethnic staff  Unknown ethnicity 
			 SCS 4 12 
			 Band C 7 35 
			 Band B 18 39 
			 Band A 20 38

Departmental Recycling

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what weight of paper his Department recycled in each of the last five years.

Gareth Thomas: The Department has recycled the following weights for paper and cardboard (they are not segregated):
	
		
			   Kilograms 
			 2003-04 342,905 
			 2004-05 434,108 
			 2005-06 349,707 
			 2006-07 281,530 
			 2007-08(1) 253,700 
			 (1) April-December 
		
	
	The historic figures (2003-06) are for DTI. It is not practical to separate out the 2007-08 recycling figures for BERR and DIUS since they are co-located. (DIUS have part occupied Kingsgate house for the past two months and were previously located in 1 Victoria street).

Members: Correspondence

Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform when the Minister of State will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for West Worcestershire dated 20 November 2007, about people whose assets place them on the margins of eligibility for state aid.

Stephen Timms: The hon. Member's letter was for my colleagues at the Department for Work and Pensions to respond to. I apologise that the transfer of the letter was delayed over the Christmas period but was completed on 15 January. The hon. Member will receive a response in due course.

New Businesses

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what steps the Government has taken to encourage individuals and companies to set up businesses in the West Midlands in the last five years.

Stephen Timms: Over the last five years, the Business Link service in the West Midlands has provided a wide range of support and guidance to companies and individuals who want to set up new businesses. It provides advice on key issues as well as training workshops and mentoring. Since 2002, the Business Link service in the West Midlands has offered a bespoke high growth start-up programme called Mustard. This service includes advice on how to access non-traditional sources of finance including venture capital and business angels. Companies also receive specialist advice from accountancy and finance specialists. Over 500 start-up businesses every year have taken part in this bespoke programme.
	The Business Link service in the West Midlands has also supported the Young Enterprise and Prince's Trust initiatives which encourage young people to start their own businesses and has run bespoke programmes to encourage women, ethnic minority and social entrepreneurs to set up businesses.
	Since 2003, the Business Link service in the West Midlands has provided support and advice to the following number of individuals and businesses who have been trading for less than 12 months.
	
		
			   Number of individuals who have been supported at least once with advice or training on how to 
			  Financial year  Start up and manage a new business  Operate their business during their first 12 months of trading 
			 2003-04 to 2007-08 94,824 20,791 
		
	
	 Manufacturing Advisory Service
	The region's important manufacturing sector has benefited from support from the Manufacturing Advisory Service which offers companies access to a range of services as part of the wider larger business support network.
	The Manufacturing Advisory Service in the West Midlands (MAS-WM) has been successful in attracting individuals and businesses to the region particularly through its specialist sourcing service which encourages inter-trading between local suppliers.
	 Advantage West Midlands
	Advantage West Midlands (AWM), the regional development agency also has in place a further range of initiatives to increase the creation, growth and survival of economically sustainable new businesses. AWM also administer the selective finance for investment (SFI) grant for manufacturing and service projects. Under SFI, between April 2004 and March 2007, 234 offers of grant made by AWM were accepted. These grant offers are expected to create 2,782 jobs and safeguard 3,325 jobs. In total, £35.1 million of grant funding has been provided.
	Through one of the key delivery mechanisms for delivering the West Midlands Economic Strategy—the High Technology Corridors, AWM has supported the creation of 148 new business, and assisted a further 1,786 businesses.
	 Inward Investment
	The West Midland's region has a good track record of attracting inward investment. The West Midlands is home to around 2,300 foreign owned firms from over 40 countries which employ around 250,000 people
	AWM manages inward investment activity for the region, working with a range of regional, national and international partners. Support for potential inward investors includes land and property searches, help with staff recruitment training and assistance with developing partnerships particularly with universities.

News Corporation

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform 
	(1)  what communication has occurred between  (a) the Secretary of State and  (b) other members of his Department and BSkyB, News International or any News Corporation controlled company following BSkyB's acquisition of a 17.9 per cent. stake in ITV; and what form this communication has taken in each case;
	(2)  whether his Department has been contacted by BSkyB, News International or any other News Corporation controlled company during the past four weeks in relation to the Competition Commission's final report into the BSkyB acquisition of a 17.9 per cent. stake in ITV published on 20 December 2007;
	(3)  whether his Department has been contacted by BSkyB, News International or any other News Corporation controlled company during the past four weeks in relation to the Competition Commission's final report sent to him on 14 December 2007.

Gareth Thomas: Since receipt and publication of the Competition Commission's final report of their inquiry into British Sky Broadcasting Group plc's (BSkyB) acquisition of a 17.9 per cent. shareholding in ITV plc, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has received written representations from BSkyB as well as from Virgin Media, ITV plc, Rapture Television, the Campaign for Press and Broadcasting Freedom and by Mr. David Hammond. In addition, BERR officials have met with representatives of BSkyB to receive further oral representations.

Nuclear Power

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform with reference to paragraph 3.77 of the White Paper on Nuclear Power, CM 7296, what steps may be taken by Ministers to ensure a level playing field between nuclear power and other forms of electricity generation.

Malcolm Wicks: As set out in the White Paper, it is not intended that incentives will be provided through the fiscal regime to invest in nuclear power generation in preference to other types of generation. Should it be determined that the timing of nuclear decommissioning creates a tax disadvantage for nuclear operators, Government will consider whether it might be appropriate to take action to ensure a level fiscal playing field between nuclear power and other forms of electricity generation. There are no proposals for measures at this stage.

Nuclear Power

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform when he expects to post on his departmental website the written submissions received to the consultation on nuclear energy policy held in 2007; and if he will list those individuals and organisations that made submissions, but requested their content not to be published by the Department.

Malcolm Wicks: I placed the written responses on our consultation website at www.direct.gov.uk/nuclearpower2007 on 10 January 2008, the day that we published our White Paper on nuclear power. Where respondents requested confidentiality, we have not published their names or their submissions.

Nuclear Power Stations: Radiation Exposure

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform whether it is intended that the Independent Radioactive Waste Management and Decommissioning Fund, as described at paragraphs 3.46 to 3.76 of the White Paper on Nuclear Power, Cm 7296, should be available to pay for such functions including those necessary in the event of unplanned release of radioactivity in the case of an accident involving a breach of containment at a nuclear power station.

Malcolm Wicks: Government have determined that independent funds, outside of the control of nuclear operators, should be created to accumulate and manage payments from operators to meet the full costs of decommissioning and full share of waste management costs. These funds will only be accessible to pay for decommissioning and waste management.
	The arrangements being put in place through the Energy Bill 2008 are not designed to respond to the event of unplanned release of radioactivity in the case of an accident involving a breach of containment at a nuclear power station. However, should decommissioning result from such an event, the fund could be made accessible to contribute to the associated costs. Should the cost estimates of decommissioning liabilities increase as a result of such an event, operators would be required to make provisions to cover the increase in costs.
	Under the Nuclear Installations Act 1965, nuclear operators have strict and exclusive liability for nuclear incidents causing personal injury or damage to property. This liability is capped and in the UK is currently £140 million. The operator must demonstrate that they have the financial security (through insurance or other means) to cover this amount.

Nuclear Power: Inspections

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform with reference to paragraph 2.93 of the White Paper on Nuclear Power, Cm7296, by what  (a) percentage and  (b) amounts the Government have authorised the Health and Safety Executive to increase salary levels of the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate's nuclear inspectors; how these changes in remuneration were arrived at; and whether there has been any effect on recruitment as a result of the new payment package.

Malcolm Wicks: Details of the pay settlement for nuclear inspectors in the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate (NII) are a matter for the Health and Safety Executive. We are hopeful that this settlement will enable the NII to recruit and retain the right calibre of staff they need to carry out their work, however it is too early to assess the effect the settlement has had on recruitment.
	We will continue to work closely with the regulators to ensure they have sufficient resource to carry out their work, including generic design assessments of new nuclear reactors within the three to three and a half year time frame.

Regional Development Agencies: Finance

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what requirements his Department has placed on regional development agencies in spending monies allocated via the single pot from his Department.

Stephen Timms: Government Departments and the RDAs agreed a Tasking Framework which came into effect from April 2005. This required each RDA to show in its corporate plans for 2005-08 how, in support of its statutory role and responsibilities, it would contribute to the delivery of the Government's Public Service Agreement (PSA) Targets on Regional Economic Performance, Sustainable Development and Productivity/Rural Productivity and, through these, how it would contribute to delivery of a range of other PSAs and output targets.
	In line with the conclusions of the Review of Sub-national Economic Development and Regeneration, BERR is working with the RDAs and other Government Departments to set overarching regional economic growth objectives for the RDAs which will apply from April 2008 (and will replace the 2005 Tasking Framework). The regional growth objectives will be aimed at increasing regional GVA per head, consistent with the Government Regional Economic Performance PSA. From April 2008, RDAs will also be required to demonstrate regard to two underlying cross- cutting principles—sustainable development and economic opportunities for all—as they seek to achieve the regional growth objective.
	The RDAs are currently developing new corporate plans, for the period 2008-11, in which they will set out corporate objectives showing how their activities will be aligned with their overarching regional growth objective and how they will apply the cross-cutting principles of sustainable development and economic opportunities for all. BERR and other Government Departments will review the new corporate plans and in my capacity as the Minister for the Regions, on behalf of Government, I will approve the new corporate plans for the eight RDAs outside London.
	All RDA activity must be in line with the statutory purposes and powers set out for them in the Regional Development Agencies Act 1998. In addition, the RDA financial duties are set out in the Management Statement and Financial Memorandum.

Renewable Energy

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what estimate he has made of the percentage of UK electricity which will be supplied from renewable sources in each year until 2015.

Malcolm Wicks: Based on the Energy White Paper projections, the percentage of electricity supplied by renewables was assessed at between eight and 10 per cent. in 2010, between 12 and 16 per cent. in 2015 and between 12 and 19 per cent. in 2020(1). Assessments for other years are not available.
	Following the consultation on our proposed reforms of the renewables obligation (RO) we have revised our modelling of the likely deployment attributable to the RO. Our revised proposals were published on 10 January, and these new estimates have not yet been included in our formal energy projections.
	(1) The figures represent the share of renewables, including waste streams, in electricity supply. The coverage of the industry is defined at footnote 21 of the document: http://www.berr.gov.uk//files/file39580.pdf

Renewable Energy: Planning

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what proportion of the renewable energy projects built in the last 15 years would  (a) have been large enough to qualify for decision making by the Infrastructure Planning Commission proposed in the Planning Bill and  (b) would have been dealt with by local authorities.

Malcolm Wicks: The Planning Bill provides that renewable energy projects generating electricity over 50 megawatts onshore and those generating over 100 megawatts offshore in England and Wales will in future be dealt with by the Infrastructure Planning Commission (IPC). Approximately 3 per cent. (58.5 MW) of the 1,890 MW of constructed renewable generating capacity in England and Wales would have been consented via the IPC had it been in existence (Source: 2010 Planning Database). Another 390 MW of offshore wind generation has been constructed comprising of projects generating between 50 MW and 100 MW. The remainder of the constructed wind farms would have been decided by local authorities.
	In addition, BERR have consented over 3,500 MW (around 3,000 MW offshore and 550 MW onshore) of renewable energy projects which have not yet been built but are above the threshold to be dealt with by the IPC in future.

Utilities: Disadvantaged

Martin Salter: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what recent discussions he has had with energy companies on support for vulnerable consumers.

Malcolm Wicks: Since the publication of the Energy White Paper, I have met the chief executives of all the energy supply companies with a view to improving support to those at risk of fuel poverty. The level of support has increased from £40 to £56 million for this winter.
	I will meet with all the chief executives again shortly to discuss the best way to ensure continued support for their most vulnerable consumers.

ClearSprings Management: Offenders

Nick Herbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what the criteria are for selecting offenders to be accommodated in bail and home detention facilities managed by Clearsprings;
	(2)  how many offences have been committed by offenders housed in bail and home detention accommodation managed by Clearsprings, broken down by  (a) number of offences,  (b) category of offence and  (c) location of the accommodation;
	(3)  what categories of offences were committed by offenders prior to their transfer to bail and home detention accommodation managed by Clearsprings;
	(4)  how many offenders housed in bail and home detention accommodation managed by Clearsprings have been returned to custody since the inception of the scheme; and for what reason in each case;
	(5)  what procedures are in place for notifying local residents that bail and home detention accommodation managed by Clearsprings is opening in their area;
	(6)  what procedures are in place for consulting local authorities on proposals to open bail and home detention accommodation managed by Clearsprings in their area.

Jack Straw: The Bail Accommodation and Support Service provided by ClearSprings is for defendants on bail and offenders on Home Detention Curfew. The following are excluded from the scheme: (i) those convicted of or charged with sex offences, (ii) those convicted of arson in the last 10 years or charged with arson, (iii) those who are considered to pose a significant risk to the public or to ClearSprings staff or to others in a shared house and (iv) those sentenced prisoners who are excluded from HDC. The main exclusions from HDC are:
	sex offenders subject to the notification requirements of the Sex Offenders Act 1997/Sexual Offences Act 2003;
	violent and sex offenders currently serving an extended sentence;
	prisoners currently serving a sentence for failing to return after a Release on Temporary Licence;
	prisoners currently serving a sentence for failing to comply with a curfew order;
	most prisoners who have been recalled to prison for failing to comply with the HDC curfew conditions.
	fine defaulters and contemnors; and
	foreign national prisoners who are liable to removal.
	In addition, prisoners with any history of sexual offending (who are not required to register as a sex offender) or serving sentences for the following categories of offences are considered unsuitable for release on HDC and can apply for HDC only if there are exceptional circumstances:
	homicide, including attempted murder, threats to kill, conspiring, aiding or inciting murder and death by reckless/dangerous driving;
	causing explosions, placing explosives, possessing explosives;
	possession of offensive weapons;
	possession of firearms with intent;
	cruelty to children; and
	racially aggravated offences.
	Defendants and offenders who are not excluded, who otherwise have no suitable address and who apply for bail or home detention curfew will be considered for the scheme. But a defendant will be released into the service only if granted bail by the court. The court can refuse bail if it considers that there is a risk that the defendant will abscond, offend or interfere with witnesses or otherwise obstruct the course of justice. An offender will be released into the service on Home Detention Curfew only on the decision of a prison governor following consultation with probation and a thorough assessment of risk and of the suitability of the proposed location.
	Information on how many offences have been committed by defendants and offenders while accommodated by ClearSprings cannot be obtained except at disproportionate cost.
	Information on the categories of offences committed by offenders prior to their transfer to bail and Home Detention Curfew cannot be obtained except at disproportionate cost. However the service is available only to those who are granted bail or who are released on Home Detention Curfew, and to those who have not committed offences or been charged with offences that would exclude them, as mentioned.
	I will provide information on how many defendants or offenders released into ClearSprings service who have been returned to custody as soon as possible.
	ClearSprings staff personally call on the immediate neighbours of a BASS property to provide information on the BASS scheme and a 24/7 contact telephone number. Where it is not possible to make face-to-face contact an introductory letter is left providing ClearSprings' contact details.
	ClearSprings consult with local authorities, and with police and probation, when acquiring properties so that local knowledge can inform the selection of addresses and avoid inappropriate locations. The scheme endeavours to return people to their own communities unless there is reason not to.

Departmental Data Protection

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether personal data for which his Department is responsible is  (a) stored and  (b) processed overseas; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Wills: The Department does not have any personal data for which it is responsible stored or processed overseas.

National Offender Management Service: Expenditure

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much was spent on central management for the Probation Service and subsequently the National Offender Management Services in England and Wales in each financial year since 1997-98.

Maria Eagle: The National Probation Directorate (NPD) was the sponsoring unit of the National Probation Service (NFS) from 1 April 2001 to 31 March 2007.
	The responsibilities of NPD included a number of front line and support services as well as central management. Expenditure on central management is not separately identified, but expenditure on "Administration Costs" as opposed to "Programme Costs", was as follows:
	
		
			   £ million 
			 2001-02 10.858 
			 2002-03 11.300 
			 2003-04 14.267 
			 2004-05 10.579 
			 2005-06 4.887 
			 2006-07 3.652 
		
	
	Since January 2005 certain functions have transferred from NPD to the centre of the National Offender Management Service and from 1 April 2007, expenditure is completely subsumed within NOMS centre.
	NOMS central costs are not specifically allocated to separate activities including central management of probation services and to attempt to separately identify the costs would be a disproportionate cost.
	Prior to 2001, the NPS and NPD did not exist as such and comparable figures are not available.

Offenders: Rehabilitation

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much offender behaviour programmes cost to implement in the latest period for which figures are available.

Maria Eagle: In relation to the probation service, data is only available on the budgeted cost of delivering programmes to offenders under their supervision in the community. Probation Boards meet the cost of delivering accredited programmes through their grant as they see fit to meet their statutory duties. Probation Boards' budgeted expenditure on accredited programmes for 2007-08 is £86.5 million.
	In relation to the HM Prison Service, the funding for delivery of offending behaviour programmes is part of establishment baselines. Based on an estimated average cost per programme completion and the number of completions in 2006-07, we estimate that the cost of delivering accredited offending behaviour programmes in 2006-07 to be approximately £25 million.

Prisons

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the average cost was of providing gyms in prisons in the latest period for which figures are available.

David Hanson: Since 1997 new gymnasium facilities have been provided at MP Lancaster Farms, HMP New Hall and HMP Shrewsbury. The average cost of providing these gyms in the public sector is in the region of £2.1 million. Most provision of new gymnasium facilities since 1997 have been provided by the private sector in newly constructed prisons, for which costs are not readily available.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to paragraph 10, page 60 of his Department's resource accounts for 2006-07, what stock items his Department was required to write-off; what bad debt expenses occurred; and what the value of each item was in each category.

Ben Bradshaw: The stock write-off and bad debt expenses of £3,728,000 can be analysed as follows;
	£2,096,000 stock write off is in respect of date expired childhood vaccines.
	£1,515,000 write-off of development costs for seven national decontamination of surgical instruments schemes
	99 minor claims totalling £117,000 have been abandoned on value for money grounds.

Departmental Recycling

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much and what proportion of its waste his Department recycled in each of the last five years.

Ben Bradshaw: On 12 June 2006, the Prime Minister and my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Fisheries (David Miliband) announced revised sustainable operations targets for the Government estate. They focus on key areas such as carbon neutrality and emissions, energy efficiency, waste and water consumption.
	The 2006 estate targets include:
	 Recycling:
	Departments to increase their recycling figures to 40 per cent. of their waste arisings by 2010 and to 75 per cent. of their waste by 2020.
	These targets will apply for the reporting period April 2006 to March 2007 onwards.
	Previous Government targets that applied to the Government estate were launched in March 2004 but have since been superseded by the new targets.
	The Department has consistently exceeded the targets. Our performance over the past five years is as follows:
	
		
			   Waste arisings (tonnes)  Proportion recycled (percentage) 
			 2001-02 n/a n/a 
			 2002-03 908.69 78 
			 2003-04 918.95 65 
			 2004-05 1,152.76 68 
			 2005-06 635.48 85 
		
	
	All figures exclude information technology (some is refurbished and resold; the rest is dismantled and disposed of in accordance with legislation)
	Figures are not directly comparable from one year to another. Staff have moved from buildings where waste collected by departmental contractors to buildings managed by other Government Department (who include our staff in their returns). In addition, in some buildings waste streams have been added to what was previously collected under the departmental contract.
	Figures for earlier years are less reliable than more recent figures.
	Figures include the main departmental London estate, and departmental agencies.
	The 2006 report is available at: www.sd-commission. org.uk/sdig2006/ and the 6th annual report is due to be published in spring 2008.

Gastrointestinal System: Health Services

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients with each type of gastroenterological condition were seen by a consultant within 18 weeks of referral in the latest period for which figures are available.

Ann Keen: Referral to treatment data is not collected at a procedure level. The following table shows October 2007 referral to treatment data for the treatment function gastroenterology.
	
		
			  Referral to treatment data October 2007 
			  C ompleted within 18 weeks 
			  Treatment function  Pathway type  Total number of completed pathways in October  Total (with known referral date)  Number of pathways  Percentage of pathways 
			 Gastroenterology Admitted 10,881 7,905 6,699 85 
			  Non-admitted 16,816 15,581 11,206 72 
			  Notes: 1. "Admitted patients" those admitted to hospital for definitive treatment, usually an operation. 2. "Non-admitted patients" those treated or otherwise without requiring admission e.g. those treated as out-patients.

Hospital Treatment Target

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what progress is being made towards the 18 week hospital treatment target in Hendon;
	(2)  what progress has been made in meeting the 18 week hospital treatment target for patients in the Barnet primary care trust area; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: The information requested is not held centrally. However, referral to treatment (RTT) times for admitted pathways (RTT times for patients whose 18 week clock stopped during the month with an inpatient/day case admission), and for non-admitted pathways (RTT times for patients whose 18 week clock stopped during the month for reasons other than an inpatient/day case admission) in the Barnet primary care trust area from January 2007 to October 2007 can be found in the following table.
	By December 2008, no one should have to wait more than 18 weeks from the time they are referred by their general practitioner (GP) to the start of their treatment unless it is clinically appropriate to do so or they choose to wait.
	The national health service began measuring waits for GP referral to start of consultant led treatment from January 2007. This allows the Department and the NHS to monitor and track progress towards the maximum 18 week wait.
	RTT data published on 10 January 2008 shows that in October 2007, 60 per cent. of admitted patients waited no more than 18 weeks for their treatment following the initial referral by their GP—an improvement on snapshot figures released in December 2006, which showed that 35 per cent. of patients received treatment within 18 weeks. The figure for non-admitted patients for October was 77 per cent.
	
		
			  Referral to treatment data for Barnet PCT 
			   January 2007  February 2007  March 2007  April 2007  May 2007  June 2007  July 2007  August 2007  September 2007  October 2007 
			  Admitted pathways  
			 Percentage of pathways completed within 18 weeks 35 34 35 35 43 36 36 38 42 54 
			 Data completeness — — 48 51 47 41 36 75 527 70 
			
			  Non-admitted pathways  
			 Percentage of pathways completed within 18 weeks 60 88 69 68 68 68 66 65 66 62 
			 Data completeness — — — — — — — 69 57 52 
			  Source:  Monthly Referral To Treatment Data Collection.

Midwives: Manpower

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effect of the fertility rate projections published by the Office for National Statistics on 23 October 2007 on  (a) future workforce requirements for midwifery and  (b) the number of places provided for student midwives in the future.

Ann Keen: Local national health service organisations are responsible for the development of maternity services, ensuring that they meet the future needs of their local population and that there are sufficient staff, with the right skills.
	The 2007-08 Operating Framework requires all NHS organisations to undertake a review of their maternity services, which included primary care trusts (PCTs) assessing the work force capacity required to deliver 'Maternity Matters'. We have built on this requirement within the 2008-09 Operating Framework 2008-09, which states
	"that PCTs should aim to ensure that sufficient numbers of maternity staff and neo-natal teams are in place to meet local needs".
	Local plans will need to consider a range of issues, including the projected number of births in their area to determine the work force capacity required to support the increased number of births and the implementation of 'Maternity Matters'.

Academies

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  whether he plans to make a statement on the conclusions of the Delivery Unit Report into academies;
	(2)  if he will list the  (a) officials,  (b) special advisers and  (c) Ministers who attended the Academies Seminar on 1 November 2007.

Jim Knight: I refer the hon. Member to my reply to his questions 165167, 165168 and 165169 on 19 November 2007,  Official Report, column 624W. No special advisers attended the seminar referred to.

Academies: Finance

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much funding was contributed to the academy programme by  (a) companies and  (b) other bodies, including non-profit-making organisations in each year since the inception of the programme.

Jim Knight: Information on sponsors' contributions received to date towards academies' capital costs is given in the following table. In noting the contributions, which are made to academy trusts, the Department does not differentiate between those made by companies as opposed to named individuals or other types of organisations, because evidence received from trusts does not identify the sponsor involved and many academies have more than one sponsor.
	There may be some payments that have been made but are not recorded in the table as the relevant trusts have yet to submit evidence to the Department that sponsorship has been paid and used to meet capital costs.
	We have now changed the sponsorship model and sponsors will now, in most cases, establish an endowment fund rather than contributing to capital costs. Detailed monitoring of such contributions will commence at the end of February 2008, in respect of contributions made in the first half of the 2007/08 academic year.
	Academies may also receive other donations apart from sponsorship. The Department does not collect details of these, but they are recorded in academies' published accounts.
	
		
			   Confirmed capital contribution from sponsors (£000) 
			 2001-02 1,160 
			 2002-03 2,958 
			 2003-04 4,961 
			 2004-05 12,091 
			 2005-06 12,339 
			 2006-07 15,723 
			 Up to 31 December 2007 14,685 
			 Total 63,917

Academies: Fire Extinguishers

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will make it a requirement for academy schools to be fitted with fire sprinkler systems in accordance with the guidance in Building Bulletin 100: Design for Fire Safety in Schools; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: It is our expectation that all academies will now be designed to incorporate sprinklers. However, this is not a compulsory measure; but to demonstrate that sprinklers are not needed, the academy trust will need to be able to demonstrate that their buildings are low risk and that incorporation of sprinklers would not represent good value for money. For academies in the Building Schools for the Future programme the decision to install sprinklers will be shared between the academy trust and the relevant local authority.

Academies: Free School Meals

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families in which academies the proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is  (a) higher and  (b) lower than the corresponding proportion in the local school catchment area; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The annual School Census for January 2007 shows that of the 46 academies then open, 10—including four former city technology colleges (CTCs)—had a lower proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals than the proportion living in the local authority area:
	St Paul's Academy, Greenwich;
	Burlington Danes Academy, Hammersmith and Fulham;
	Habedashers' Aske's Hatcham Academy (former CTC);
	Sandwell Academy, Sandwell;
	Walsall Academy, Walsall;
	Salford City Academy, Salford;
	Dixons City Academy (former CTC), Bradford;
	The Kings Academy, Middlesbrough;
	Macmillan Academy (former CTC), Middlesbrough; and
	Landau Forte College (former CTC), Derby.
	The 36 academies with a higher proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals than the proportion living in the local authority area are:
	Mossbourne Community Academy, Hackney;
	Petchey Academy, Hackney;
	Lambeth Academy, Lambeth;
	Haberdashers' Aske's Knights Academy, Lewisham;
	City of London Academy, Southwark;
	the Academy at Peckham, Southwark;
	Harris Academy, Bermondsey, Southwark;
	Harris Girls' Academy, East Dulwich, Southwark;
	Paddington Academy, Westminster;
	Westminster Academy, Westminster;
	London Academy, Barnet;
	Business Academy, Bexley;
	Capital City Academy, Brent;
	West London Academy, Ealing;
	Greig City Academy, Haringey;
	Stockley Academy, Hillingdon;
	Harefield Academy, Hiliingdon;
	Harris Academy, Merton;
	St Mark's Church of England Academy, Merton;
	Walthamstow Academy; Waltham Forest;
	Grace Academy, Solihull;
	the Academy of St Francis of Assisi, Liverpool;
	North Liverpool Academy, Liverpool;
	Manchester Academy, Manchester;
	Barnsley Academy, Barnsley;
	Trinity Academy, Doncaster;
	Sheffield Park Academy, Sheffield;
	Sheffield Springs Academy, Sheffield;
	David Young Community Academy, Leeds;
	the City Academy Bristol, City of Bristol;
	Unity City Academy, Middlesbrough;
	John Madejski Academy, Reading;
	Gateway Academy, Thurrock;
	Marlowe Academy, Kent;
	Djanogly City Academy, City of Nottingham; and
	Northampton Academy, Northamptonshire.
	Details of the number and proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals in each academy and their local authorities are given in the following table:
	
		
			 Academies  Local authority 
			  Predecessor academy  Year open  Local authority  Number of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals  Percentage of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals  Number known to be eligible for free meals  Percentage known to be eligible for free meals 
			 St. Pauls Academy 2005 Greenwich 179 25.6 4,050 28.1 
			 Mossbourne Community Academy 2004 Hackney 249 40.6 2,460 37.3 
			 Petchey Academy 2006 Hackney 86 47.8 2,460 37.3 
			 Burlington Danes Academy 2006 Hammersmith and Fulham 166 20.6 1,520 25.3 
			 Lambeth Academy 2004 Lambeth 229 43.0 3,060 37.4 
			 Haberdashers' Aske's Hatcham College(1) 2005 Lewisham 181 17.5 2,860 25.7 
			 Haberdashers' Aske's Knights Academy 2005 Lewisham 321 44.1 2,860 25.7 
			 City of London Academy 2003 Southwark 273 36.5 2,660 31.9 
			 The Academy at Peckham 2003 Southwark 530 50.8 2,660 31.9 
			 Harris Academy, Bermondsey 2006 Southwark 532 60.6 2,660 31.9 
			 Harris Girls' Academy, East Dulwich 2006 Southwark 312 40.6 2,660 31.9 
			 Paddington Academy 2006 Westminster 428 54.7 1990 29.7 
			 Westminster Academy 2006 Westminster 304 40.7 1990 29.7 
			 London Academy 2004 Barnet 432 43.0 2,920 15.0 
			 The Business Academy, Bexley 2002 Bexley 543 39.2 1,500 8.1 
			 Capital City Academy 2003 Brent 313 34.9 3,750 22.6 
			 West London Academy 2003 Ealing 439 40.6 3,930 25.6 
			 Greig City Academy 2002 Haringey 251 37.4 4,010 33.8 
			 Stockley Academy 2004 Hillingdon 274 40.8 2,880 16.8 
			 The Harefield Academy 2005 Hillingdon 88 17.4 2,880 16.8 
			 Harris Academy, Merton 2006 Merton 195 30.0 880 12.2 
			 St Marks Church of England Academy 2006 Merton 194 27.1 880 12.2 
			 Walthamstow Academy 2006 Waltham Forest 214 31.7 3,270 24.7 
			 Sandwell Academy 2006 Sandwell 26 14.4 4,020 20.3 
			 Grace Academy 2006 Solihull 319 29.6 1,440 10.1 
			 Walsall Academy 2003 Walsall 82 12.0 3,480 16.8 
			 The Academy of St Francis of Assisi 2005 Liverpool 312 47.2 8,430 27.8 
			 North Liverpool Academy 2006 Liverpool 406 41.1 8,430 27.8 
			 Manchester Academy 2003 Manchester 399 51.2 8,930 38.6 
			 Salford City Academy 2005 Salford 105 18.0 2,650 23.3 
			 The Barnsley Academy 2006 Barnsley 159 37.5 2,150 16.2 
			 Trinity Academy 2005 Doncaster 176 16.4 2,780 13.8 
			 Sheffield Park Academy 2006 Sheffield 385 36.3 4,170 14.3 
			 Sheffield Springs Academy 2006 Sheffield 342 34.9 4,170 14.3 
			 Dixons City Academy(1) 2005 Bradford 59 7.2 8,070 23.7 
			 David Young Community Academy 2006 Leeds 371 42.1 7,450 16.0 
			 The City Academy, Bristol 2003 Bristol, City of 381 39.7 2,600 17.1 
			 Unity City Academy 2002 Middlesbrough 466 45.0 1,750 31.8 
			 The King's Academy 2003 Middlesbrough 293 25.8 1,750 31.8 
			 Macmillan Academy(1) 2005 Middlesbrough 293 25.8 1,750 31.8 
			 Landau Forte College(1) 2006 Derby 88 11.2 2,450 15.6 
			 John Madejski Academy 2006 Reading 150 30.4 630 11.4 
			 The Gateway Academy 2006 Thurrock 296 36.2 860 10.7 
			 The Marlowe Academy 2005 Kent 187 31.5 7,790 7.9 
			 Djanogly City Academy, Nottingham 2003 Nottingham 446 32.7 3,750 27.9 
			 Northampton Academy 2004 Northamptonshire 193 16.3 2,510 5.5 
			 (1) Former CTC.

Academies: Sponsorship

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will list the public sector  (a) sponsors and  (b) co-sponsors of academies in each quarter since 1 January 2002.

Jim Knight: The names of public sector sponsors and co-sponsors for open academies are shown in the following table. Information relates to the quarter in which each Academy was opened.
	
		
			  Academy name  Opening date  Sponsor  Co-sponsor  Opening quarter 
			 City of London Southward Academy September 2003 Corporation of London — 3(rd) quarter 
			 Macmillan Academy September 2005 Macmillan CTC — 3(rd) quarter 
			 Dixons City Academy September 2005 Dixons CTC — 3(rd) quarter 
			 Madeley Academy April 2007 Thomas Telford School (CTC) — 2(nd) quarter 
			 John Cabot Academy September 2007 John Cabot CTC Trust — 3rd Quarter 
			 The Bristol Brunei Academy September 2007 John Cabot Academy — 3(rd) quarter 
			 Marsh Academy September 2007 Microsoft and Tonbridge School Kent CC 3(rd) quarter 
			 Leigh Technology Academy September 2007 Leigh CTC — 3(rd) quarter 
			 Harris City Academy, Crystal Palace September 2007 CTC Trust/Harris Federation of South London Schools Trust — 3(rd) quarter 
			 Cornwallis (name TBC), South Maidstone Federation September 2007 Cornwallis Online Learning Kent CC 3(rd) quarter 
			 New Line Learning Academy September 2007 Cornwallis Online Learning Kent CC 3(rd) quarter

Academies: Sponsorship

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many  (a) public sector bodies and  (b) local authorities (i) sponsored and (ii) co-sponsored academies prior to 1 May 2007; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: Prior to 1 May 2007 Funding Agreements had been signed for academies where the Royal borough of Kensington and Chelsea and Kent county council were co-sponsors, and where the Corporation of London was the lead sponsor. In addition to these Funding Agreements had been signed where the following public sector bodies are acting as lead sponsors of academies:
	Macmillan City Technology College;
	Dixons City Technology College;
	Thomas Telford School;
	John Cabot City Technology College;
	Leigh City Technology College;
	Harris City Technology College; and
	Brooke Weston City Technology College.

Academies: Standards

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what powers are available to  (a) his Department and  (b) local authorities to deal with underperforming academies; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: There are a range of possible measures available to the Department to deal with underperforming academies, similar to the range of interventions-available in dealing with other underperforming state funded schools. These range from providing support through School Improvement Partners and Educational Advisers to powers vested in the Secretary of State which include the power to close an Academy in the unlikely event that other interventions had not worked.
	Academies are independent schools, and as such, local authorities have no powers of intervention relating to an Academy's performance. However, each Academy has at least one local authority representative on its Governing Body.

Academies: Standards

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what comparative assessment he has made of the comparative effectiveness of academies and fresh start schools in improving academic comparative performance.

Jim Knight: The February 2007 National Audit Office Report on the Academies Programme found that for three main measures of GCSE performance in 2006, academy pupils gained on average better results than fresh start schools. The percentage of pupils in academies with five or more grades A*-C was 40 per cent. in comparison to 35 per cent. in fresh start schools; the percentage in academies with five or more grades A*-G was 80 per cent. in comparison to 79 per cent., and the percentage with five or more grades A*-C including English and maths was 22 per cent. in comparison to 17 per cent. in fresh start schools.

Assessments

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether any examination dates were set for students after they had finished term and left school in 2007.

Jim Knight: The Joint Council for Qualifications (JGQ) is responsible for setting the timetable for GCSE and A level examinations and they do this after consulting on a provisional timetable a year in advance of when the examinations are taken. In the 2007 summer examination series, the final date for GCSE examinations was 27 June, the final date for GCE examinations was 28 June and for AEA examinations the final date was 29 June. Across England local authorities (and independent schools) set term dates in full knowledge of these dates and typically finish summer term in mid-July.

Biometrics: Fingerprints

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will commission a review of the academic literature on the reversibility of biometric templates to recreate fingerprints.

Jim Knight: The Department has no plans to commission a review of the academic literature on the reversibility of biometric templates to recreate fingerprints. Becta is responsible for monitoring this and other aspects of technology in schools and will take appropriate action as it considers necessary. Becta published guidance on the use of biometric technology in July 2007.

Buildings Schools for the Future Programme: Sustainable Development

Gisela Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps have been taken to ensure that developments under the Building Schools for the Future programme have the lowest possible environmental impact.

Jim Knight: The Department has recently introduced new standards for carbon emissions from new school buildings. The Children's Plan contains a new requirement for all new build schools to reduce carbon emissions by at least 60 per cent. It also includes our longer term ambition for all new school buildings to be zero carbon by 2016 and we are now appointing a taskforce to advise how this can be achieved.
	These targets for carbon emission complement our requirements for environmental assessments using BREEAM, the Building Research Establishments Environmental Assessment Method, which we have adapted for schools. Since 2005 it has been our requirement that major school building projects achieve a minimum BREEAM rating of 'very good'.

Education Maintenance Allowance: Copeland

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  how many pupils within Copeland have been eligible to receive education maintenance allowance over the last three years;
	(2)  how many pupils were eligible in  (a) Cumbria and  (b) Copeland to receive education maintenance allowance at (i) £30, (ii) £20 and (iii) £10 over the last three years.

Jim Knight: These are matters for the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) who operate the education maintenance allowance (EMA) for the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) and hold the information about take-up and payments made under the scheme. Mark Haysom, the council's chief executive, will write to the hon. Gentleman with the information requested and a copy of his reply will be placed in the House Library.
	 Letter from Mark Haysom, dated 8 January 2008:
	I am writing in response to your Parliamentary Questions that asked:
	"How many pupils within Copeland have been eligible to receive education maintenance allowance over the past three years"; and
	"How many pupils were eligible in (a) Cumbria and (b) Copeland to receive education maintenance allowance at (i) £30, (ii) £20 and (iii) £10 over the last three years."
	Information on the number of young people who have applied, enrolled and received Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) is available at Local Authority Level, but not at constituency level. EMA take-up is defined as young people who have received one or more EMA payments in the academic year.
	To be eligible for an EMA a young person must be aged 16-19 and be in full-time learning or following a valid Entry to Employment Programme led Apprenticeship (at least 16 guided learning hours per week). Applications are income assessed, based on the learner's total household income, with the maximum income to be eligible in 2007-08 of £30,810.
	In the first year of national roll out (2004/05) EMA was available to all 16 year olds across England and to 17 and 18 year olds in former pilot areas (as Cumbria was not a pilot area this did not apply to them). In 2005/06 EMA roll out continued and EMA was available to all 16 and 17 year olds nationally. In 2006/07 EMA is available to all 16, 17 and 18 year olds nationally.
	The following table shows the percentage of young people receiving EMA in Cumbria Local Authority area during each academic year since national roll out. The reasons why young people did not receive EMA may be that: they were not eligible, they did not apply, or they were in employment, NEET, etc.
	
		
			  Percentage of population cohort receiving EMA in each academic year—Cumbria 
			   Percentage 
			 2004-05 (16-year-olds only) 33 
			 2005-06 (16 and 17-year-olds) 27 
			 2006-07 (16, 17 and 18-year-olds) 23 
			 2006-07(1) (16, 17 and 18-year-olds) 29 
			 (1 )To end December. 
		
	
	The following table shows EMA take-up data split by payment band for Cumbria Local Authority area during each academic year since national roll out.
	
		
			  Take-up of EMA in each academic year—Cumbria local authority 
			   Band  
			   £30  £20  £10  Total 
			   Number  Percentage  Number  Percentage  Number  Percentage  
			 2004-05 1,587 74 238 11 329 15 2,154 
			 2005-06 2,845 76 445 12 458 12 3,748 
			 2006-07 3,724 79 504 11 491 10 4,719 
			 2007-08(1) 3,494 79 468 11 439 10 4,401 
			 (1 )To end December. 
		
	
	I hope you find this information useful. EMA take-up data showing the number of young people who have received one or more EMA payments during 2004/05, 2005/06, 2006/07 and to date in 2007/08 is now also available on the LSC website, at the following address:
	http://www.lsc.gov.uk/providers/Data/statistics/learner/EMA_take_up.htm

Education Maintenance Allowance: Peterborough

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many young people in Peterborough constituency received the education maintenance allowance in the last year for which figures are available.

Jim Knight: This is a matter for the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) who operate the education maintenance allowance (EMA) for the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) and hold the information about take-up and payments made under the scheme. Mark Haysom, the council's chief executive, will write to the hon. Gentleman with the information requested and a copy of his reply will be placed in the House Library.
	 Letter from Mark Haysom, dated 19 December 2007:
	I am writing in response to your Parliamentary Question that asked:
	"How many young people in Peterborough constituency received education maintenance grants in the last year for which figures are available."
	Information on the number of young people who have applied, enrolled and received Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) is available at Local Authority Level, but not at constituency level.
	EMA take-up is defined as young people who have received one or more EMA payments in the academic year. EMA take-up for City of Peterborough Local Authority area is as follows:
	2006/07—2,017
	I hope you find this information useful. EMA take-up data showing the number of young people who have received one or more EMA payments during 2004/05, 2005/06, 2006/07 and to date in 2007/08 is now also available on the LSC website at the following address:
	http://www.lsc.gov.uk/providers/Data/statistics/learner/EMA_take_up.htm

Further Education: Essex

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what proportion of young people in  (a) Colchester constituency and  (b) Essex County Council area remained in full-time education in the year after they ended compulsory schooling in each year since 1997.

Jim Knight: The following table shows the proportion of all academic age 16-year-olds participating in full-time education in Essex local authority in each year since 1997. These figures are not currently available at parliamentary constituency level.
	Participation of 16-year-olds in education and training is published in the Statistical First Release: Participation in Education, Training and Employment by 16 to 18-year-olds in England: 2005 and 2006 and Participation in Education and Training by 16 and 17-year-olds in each local area in England: 2004 and 2005. See the following link:
	http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000734/index.shtml
	
		
			  Participation of 16-year-olds in full-time education, Essex 
			  Percentage 
			   1997  1998  1999  2000  2001 (a)  2001 (b)  2002  2003  2004  2005 
			 Essex(1) 71 72 71 70 68 69 71 70 72 74 
			 Essex(1) — 71 72 70 67 70 72 71 73 75 
			 Southend-on-Sea — 78 79 76 77 65 74 67 74 74 
			 Thurrock — 64 60 64 61 64 64 67 66 72 
			 England 70 70 72 71 71 71 72 72 73 76 
			 (1) The two figures for Essex are for (i) Essex county council and (ii) Essex unitary authority (UA). The former contains Essex UA, Southend-on-Sea UA and Thurrock UA. Figures for these UAs are not available for 1997.  Notes: 1. Learner in Special Designated Institutes (SDIs) and External Institutes (EIs) have been included from 2002 onwards. 2. For 2001 onwards, information for pupils in maintained schools, CTCs and academies is included by the pupil's residence, rather than the address of the school. The table 2001 (a) provides the figures on the old basis, 2001 (b) on the new basis.

Further Education: Staffordshire

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what proportion of young people in  (a) Tamworth constituency and  (b) Staffordshire County Council area remained in full-time education in the year after they ended compulsory schooling in each year since 1997.

Jim Knight: The following table shows the proportion of all academic age 16-year-olds participating in full-time education in Staffordshire local authority in each year since 1997. These figures are not currently available at parliamentary constituency level.
	Participation of 16-year-olds in education and training is published in the Statistical First Release: Participation in Education, Training and Employment by 16-18 Year Olds in England; 2005 and 2006 and Participation in Education and Training by 16 and 17 Year Olds in each Local Area in England: 2004 and 2005, please see the following link:
	http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000734/index.shtml
	
		
			  Table 1: Participation of 16-year-olds in full-time education, Staffordshire 
			  Percentage 
			   1997  1998  1999  2000  2001 (a)  2001 (b)  2002  2003  2004  2005 
			 Staffordshire(1) 64 65 67 67 67 68 67 70 71 72 
			
			 Staffordshire(1) 68 69 70 68 69 70 69 72 73 74 
			 Stoke-on-Trent 50 52 58 61 59 60 59 62 64 67 
			 England 70 70 72 71 71 71 72 72 73 76 
			 (1 )The two figures for Staffordshire are for (a) Staffordshire county council and (b) Staffordshire unitary authority (UA). The former contains both Staffordshire UA and Stoke-on-Trent UA.  Notes: 1. Learners in special designated institutes (SDIs) and external institutes (EIs) have been included from 2002 onwards. 2. For 2001 onwards, information for pupils in maintained schools, CTCs and academies is included by the pupil's residence, rather than the address of the school. The table 2001 (b) provides the figures on the new basis, 2001 (a) on the old basis.

GCE A-Level

Iain Duncan Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what his policy is on the promotion of A-Levels to students at schools.

Jim Knight: holding answer 17 January 2008
	 All young people should receive high quality information, advice and guidance on learning and careers options from their schools and from other learning providers, and from the Connexions Service so that they can make informed choices. We expect this advice to promote the proven benefits of further education and training. However, it is important that information, advice and guidance is impartial: that it reflects the needs of the learner, not of the institution providing the advice.
	It is not the Department's policy to promote one learning route over another. Our interest is ensuring that each learner is helped into education and training that is best for that individual and which is most likely to sustain their participation in learning and lead to the highest level of attainment. For many learners A-levels are the most appropriate way forward: for others, different routes will be appropriate.

General Certificate of Secondary Education: Standards

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what target his Department has set for the percentage of pupils attaining five passes at grade A* to C GCSE including English and mathematics.

Jim Knight: As part of the 2007 comprehensive spending review (CSR), a new set of public service agreements and national targets was announced in October 2007. From 2009 onwards there is a dual focus on ensuring that pupils reach the levels expected for their age in both English and mathematics (threshold targets) and improving the rates of progress made by pupils from 5 to 16 (new progression targets) with increased attention to achieving faster progress for underachieving groups such as children in care and minority ethnic pupils.
	The key stage 4 threshold target is for 53 per cent. of pupils to achieve 5A*-C GCSEs (and equivalent), including GCSEs in both English and maths by 2011.
	The progression targets will be a major factor in helping all pupils—regardless of their background and circumstances—to realise their potential in English and mathematics in particular. By 2011 we want to see a 15 percentage point improvement in the number of pupils making two levels of progress in English and a 13 percentage point improvement in those making two levels of progress in mathematics between key stage 3 and key stage 4.
	We have also made the commitment that, by 2012, no secondary school should have fewer than 30 per cent. of pupils achieving five GCSEs at grade A*-C including English and mathematics. This children's plan, launched last month, also sets out the ambition that, by 2020, at least 90 per cent. of young people should achieve the equivalent of five higher GCSEs at age 19.

Home Education

Rudi Vis: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether the term, education otherwise than at school, is taken by his Department to include elective home education.

Jim Knight: Yes: this is explained in the guidelines for local authorities on monitoring elective home education that were published in November 2007. A copy of the guidelines has been placed in the House of Commons Library.

Home Education

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether he plans to meet Education Otherwise and other home education organisations.

Jim Knight: I have no plans to meet with Education Otherwise and other home education organisations. My officials are in regular contact with them.

Languages: Primary Education

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  how many primary schools in each London borough teach a modern foreign language;
	(2)  which modern foreign languages are taught in primary schools in London.

Jim Knight: The table details the proportion of primary schools in each London borough who reported in autumn 2006 that they were teaching languages in class time. The data were obtained from ongoing research commissioned by the Department, which estimated the proportion of schools teaching languages in class time. The figures are based on a representative sample of maintained primary schools and the survey achieved a 48 per cent. response rate nationally.
	The major languages taught in primary schools in London were French, German, Italian and Spanish. Other languages taught in a small number of schools included Chinese, Japanese, Urdu, Panjabi, Hebrew, Turkish, Albanian and Bengali.
	
		
			  London LAs  Percentage of responding primary schools teaching languages in class time 
			 Camden 100.00 
			 Greenwich 78.57 
			 Hackney 77.78 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 83.33 
			 Islington 100.00 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 83.33 
			 Lambeth 81.25 
			 Lewisham 50.00 
			 Southwark 78.57 
			 Tower Hamlets 25.00 
			 Wandsworth 93.75 
			 Westminster 100.00 
			 Barking and Dagenham 100.00 
			 Bamet 66.67 
			 Bexley 100.00 
			 Brent 71.43 
			 Bromley 86.67 
			 Croydon 63.16 
			 Ealing 72.22 
			 Enfield 86.67 
			 Haringey 71.43 
			 Harrow 100.00 
			 Havering 86.67 
			 Hillingdon 76.92 
			 Hounslow 84.62 
			 Kingston on Thames 66.67 
			 Merton 91.67 
			 Newham 90.91 
			 Redbridge 57.14 
			 Richmond upon Thames 100.00 
			 Sutton 90.91 
			 Waltham Forest 36.36

Members: Correspondence

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families when he will respond to the letter of 29 November from the hon. Member for the Isle of Wight on changes to the school system on the Isle of Wight.

Jim Knight: A reply to this letter was provided by Lord Adonis on 20 December 2007.

Private Education: Academic Year

Rudi Vis: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families on what basis he decided on the figures of  (a) 28 weeks of education in an academic year and  (b) 12.5 hours of education in a week in seeking to define an independent academic institution.

Jim Knight: We want an 'independent educational institution' to be one that provides the main part of a child's education. 28 weeks education per year and 12.5 hours education per week together constitute more than half a school year, and more than half of a typical school week for primary age children, and so these institutions will provide the main part of their pupils' education;

Pupils: Accidents

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many pupils were taken to hospitals due to accidents within schools in Tamworth constituency in each of the last five years.

Jim Knight: The Health and Safety Executive has provided details, as requested, in the following table:
	
		
			  Injuries to students in schools in the local authority of Tamworth, reported to HSE, 2002/03 to 2006/07( 1) 
			   Non-fatal injuries 
			 2002/03 4 
			 2003/04 — 
			 2004/05 1 
			 2005/06 5 
			 2006/07(1) 7 
			 (1) Provisional.  Notes: 1. Injuries are reported and defined under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR) 1995. The information available under RIDDOR 95 includes two categories of severity for members of the public (the category under which students are recorded): fatal injuries and non-fatal injuries that cause a person to be taken from the site of the accident to hospital. Across the period shown there are no recorded fatal injuries to students in Tamworth reported to HSE under RIDDOR. 2. Identified using Standard Occupational Classification 2000 (SOC2000) code 0002 'Student'. 3. Identified using Standard Industrial Classification 1992 (SIC92) codes 80100 'Primary education', 80200 'Secondary education' and 80210 'General secondary education'. 4. The annual basis is the planning year from 1 April to 31 March.

Pupils: Data Protection

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps his Department is taking to prevent school staff removing unencrypted sensitive pupil data from school premises.

Jim Knight: Becta is responsible for producing and publishing guidance for schools on how to ensure the security of their IT systems. Becta's latest guidance was published in September 2007 and is available on its website. This guidance includes information for schools on monitoring the physical security of ICT equipment, data security and the security of pupil information and data.

Pupils: English Language

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many children with English as a second language there were in  (a) primary and  (b) secondary schools in each English local authority in (i) 1997, (ii) 2001, (iii) 2005, (iv) 2006 and (v) 2007.

Jim Knight: The available information shows the number of pupils whose first language is known or believed to be other than English. Figures for the years requested have been placed in the Library. Data for the earlier years (1997 and 2001) have been included in the workbook but as the information is not directly comparable due to a change in the coding framework, it has not been amalgamated into the time series.
	The information is published annually in Schools and Pupils in England: January 2007 (Final), the latest figures relate to 2007 and are available at:
	http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000744/index.shtml

School Leaving

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of imposing sanctions on young people to keep them in education and training; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: Without compulsion, there is a risk that young people with lower aspirations, who may come from families and communities which have a poor experience of education and training, are missed as participation increases—and this group will become more marginalised. That is why we believe that to galvanise the system to provide better for this group we must go further, and a different approach is needed. The experience of other countries suggests that if this policy is to have the impact we want we need to be clear that it can be enforced if necessary. For example, Western Australia raised the participation age from 15 to 16 and have seen their participation rate at 16 rise from 80 per cent. to 98 per cent. The Netherlands has recently changed the law too and we will look to learn from their experience. Under plans to raise the participation age, sanctions will only be used as a last resort and the focus will be on ensuring there is the right provision and the right support for young people to participate in education and training post-16.

School Meals

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether schools may spend profits on their school meal services in other areas of school expenditure; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: Schools may spend all their income, whether from the Dedicated Schools Grant or other sources, including profit on school meals where the service is not contracted out, on expenditure for the purposes of the school or pupils in other maintained schools. Local Management of Schools means that schools are expected to budget within their resources however they are derived and manage their own expenditure in the way that best fits the priorities and local needs of the school.

Schools: Armed Forces

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many of the recommendations relating to his Department contained in the Defence Committee report, Educating Service Children (HC (2005-06) 1054), have been implemented; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The Defence Committee recommendations for the then DfES that have been implemented are detailed as follows:
	We have included an indicator in the January 2008 school census which will facilitate research into service children's outcomes;
	We are working closely with the devolved Administrations on the MOD's new cross border forum discussing provision for service children across the whole UK, particularly provision for those with statements of special educational needs (SEN) who move between countries within the UK;
	To improve the transfer of pupil records when they move school, we have continued to publicise the statutory "15 school day rule" to ensure that all schools are aware of their responsibilities;
	We are working with a group of heads of schools which have high mobility due to large numbers of service children, to develop best practice guidance to help schools deal with the difficulties mobility causes, and to ease the impact that frequent moves can have on the children;
	The School Admissions Code requires admission authorities to take account of service families' needs and allows them to allocate places in advance where families are moving to their area, using the unit HQ address if necessary where families have yet to be given an address. These provisions have been welcomed by the MOD.
	One recommendation about children with statements of SEN was not accepted. For those children with statements who move frequently, there are regulations governing the transfer of information between local authorities, and the timing of reviews of the statements and any necessary reassessments of the children's SEN. Previously statemented children who return from abroad may have been away for a considerable period and their needs may have changed. It is right that their needs are reassessed on return.

Schools: Biometrics

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will commission an independent assessment of the security of biometric systems used in schools  (a) in libraries,  (b) in canteens and  (c) for registration.

Jim Knight: The Department has no plans to commission an assessment of the security systems used in schools  (a) in libraries,  (b) in canteens and  (c) for registration. Becta is responsible for monitoring this and other aspects of technology in schools and will take appropriate action as it considers necessary. Becta published guidance on the use of biometric technology in July 2007.

Schools: Buildings

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many  (a) primary and  (b) secondary schools in each local authority are using temporary mobile classrooms; and how many such classrooms there are in each local authority.

Jim Knight: Data on school temporary buildings were supplied to my Department by local education authorities in 2001; 2003 and 2005. However, checks on recent months indicate that the completeness and quality of the data was not good enough to accurately assess the number of buildings.
	Central Government capital support for investment in schools has increased from under £700 million in 1996-97 to £6.4 billion in 2007-08 and will rise further to £8.0 billion by 2010-11. Progress is being made year-by-year in improving the quality of the school building stock. The bulk of schools capital is now allocated by formula to authorities and schools so that they can address their local priorities, including the replacement of decayed temporary accommodation, on which we have set a high priority. Given the high levels of funding, authorities have the opportunity to replace temporary buildings where they are considered to be unsuitable.
	Modern, high quality mobile or demountable buildings provide a good environment for teaching and learning where there is short-term need. Where they are new, they are required to meet the same building environmental standards as buildings that are not demountable. They might, for instance, be needed to cope with a short-term increase in pupil numbers, or where extensive remodelling or rebuilding of permanent accommodation means providing temporary accommodation on the school site, rather than transporting children elsewhere.

Schools: Buildings

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will establish national minimum standards expected condition for school buildings.

Jim Knight: The Education (School Premises) Regulations 1999 set out minimum standards for schools. These regulations are currently under review. The Department has also published a wide range of guidance and building bulletins on design and standards for school buildings.

Schools: Curriculum

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  how many schools have adopted the Opening Minds curriculum;
	(2)  when he will reply to question 173812, on the Opening Minds curriculum, tabled by the hon. Member for Bognor Regis and Littlehampton on 10 December 2007.

Jim Knight: We do not collect data about which approaches schools take to planning their curriculum. This is a matter for schools themselves so long as they meet the statutory requirements. The Opening Minds website, however www.rsa.org.uk, suggests that
	"there are now over 135 schools using the Opening Minds framework of competences".

Schools: Finance

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the amount of guaranteed funding per school pupil in Hendon is from the  (a) dedicated schools grant and  (b) other specific grants in (i) 2007-08 and (ii) 2008-09.

Jim Knight: The Department allocates education funding to local authorities so the requested information for Hendon constituency is not available. The guaranteed unit of funding per pupil for Barnet local authority for 2007-08 was £4,344 and for 2008-09 will be £4,559. We do not apply a guaranteed unit of funding to specific grants.

Schools: Inspections

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many schools in Hendon were inspected by Ofsted in the last 12 months; what the outcome was of each inspection; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: This is a matter for Ofsted. HM Chief Inspector, Christine Gilbert, has written to my hon. Friend and a copy of her reply has been placed in the Library.
	 Letter from Christine Gilbert, dated 14 January 2008:
	Your recent parliamentary question has been passed to me, as Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, for a response.
	Ofsted has inspected 18 schools in Hendon constituency in the last 12 months from 1 January 2007 to 31 December 2007. The grades and the date on which they were inspected are shown in the table below.
	
		
			  URN  Inspection date  Grade  School name 
			 134798 26 February 2007 2 good London Academy 
			 101336 27 February 2007 2 good St. Joseph's RC Infant School 
			 101355 14 March 2007 3 satisfactory Dollis Junior School 
			 101326 21 March 2007 2 good St. Paul's CofE Primary School 
			 130935 21 March 2007 3 satisfactory The Hyde School 
			 101359 25 April 2007 2 good Mill Hill County High School 
			 103119 15 May 2007 2 good St. Mary's and St. John's CE Primary School 
			 101364 17 May 2007 2 good St. James' Catholic High School 
			 101258 22 May 2007 1 outstanding Barnfield Primary School 
			 101357 24 May 2007 2 good Hendon School 
			 101395 14 June 2007 1 outstanding Northway School 
			 101376 28 June 2007 1 outstanding Mathilda Marks-Kennedy Jewish Primary School 
			 101339 3 July 2007 2 good Blessed Dominic RC School 
			 133749 11 September 2007 2 good Northgate School 
			 101274 14 November 2007 1 outstanding Deansbrook Infant School 
			 101342 29 November 2007 1 outstanding The Annunciation RC Junior School 
			 101275 10 December 2007 3 satisfactory Dollis Infant School 
			 101343 11 December 2007 1 outstanding Independent Jewish Day School 
		
	
	Ofsted has four categories for grading school inspection: grade 1 is outstanding, grade 2 good, grade 3 satisfactory, and grade 4 inadequate. Grade 1 is exceptionally and consistently high, grade 2 is generally above average with no criteria significantly below average, grade 3 is broadly average, and grade 4 is exceptionally low. Grade 4 schools can either be placed in 'special measures' or be given a 'notice to improve'.
	A copy of this reply has been sent to Jim Knight MP, Minister of State for Schools and Learners and will be placed in the library of both Houses.

Schools: Isle of Wight

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families who would be responsible for funding for redundancies arising from the reorganisation of schools on the Isle of Wight.

Jim Knight: It will be the responsibility of the Isle of Wight council to fund any redundancy payments that may result from the reorganisation of schools on the island which the council is responsible for.

Schools: Isle of Wight

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what estimate he has made of the cost of redundancy payments brought about by the reorganisation of schools on the Isle of Wight.

Jim Knight: There have been no estimates made in respect of any redundancies that may result from the reorganisation of schools on the Isle of Wight as these decisions are a matter for local determination.

Schools: Isle of Wight

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether his Department has conducted a study of the effect of the reorganisation of schools on the Isle of Wight on the number of road miles driven and car journeys made to travel to schools.

Jim Knight: No such study has been undertaken by the Department. It is for local authorities to decide how best to organise the schools in their areas in the light of local circumstances, concerns about the proposal should therefore be directed to the Isle of Wight council.
	In bringing forward proposals, authorities must consider the implications for school travel and transport, and the Department's statutory guidance to decision makers makes it clear that they should bear in mind that proposals should not unreasonably extend journey times or increase transport costs. In addition, the proposals should not result in too many children being prevented from walking or cycling to school because routes are unsuitable.

Schools: Listed Buildings

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many educational establishments in receipt of funding from his Department are accommodated in listed buildings; and how many of these have been designated as in need of significant repair.

Jim Knight: The Department does not hold information on which educational buildings are listed.
	The bulk of schools capital is allocated by formula to authorities and schools, so that they can address their local asset management planning priorities, including any necessary repairs to listed buildings. Schools decide on the amount of revenue funding to allocate to building repairs and maintenance.
	Central Government capital support for investment in schools has increased from under £700 million in 1996-97 to £6.4 billion in 2007-08 and will rise further to £8.0 billion by 2010-11. While reducing maintenance requirements is a long-term aim, the primary objectives for funding are to raise educational standards and tackle local deprivation. A substantial proportion of capital funding is targeted at transformational programmes, such as Building Schools for the Future and the Primary Capital Programmes. Over time, these programmes will significantly reduce future maintenance requirements.

Schools: Repairs and Maintenance

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of funding arrangements outside centralised programmes for the allocation of resources to ensure that schools are properly maintained; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The Department does not collect the information requested from schools or local authorities. It is the responsibility for each local authority and their schools to make decisions locally for repairs and maintenance.

Schools: Rural Areas

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much funding was allocated to each local authority to support small rural schools in the latest year for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The allocation formula for Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) does not separately allocate money to support small rural schools; it starts from local authorities' spending on schools for 2005-06, which is closely related to the formula for schools formula spending shares in use that year. That formula took account of the needs of sparsely populated authorities to keep open small rural primary schools, using an indicator of sparsity. The following table sets out estimated amounts within 2007-08 allocations of DSG, derived from the amounts allocated through the schools FSS formula in 2005-06 on the basis of sparsity, updated appropriately.
	
		
			  Authority  Estimated amount for sparsity (£ million) 
			 Barking and Dagenham — 
			 Barnet — 
			 Barnsley 0.30 
			 Bath and North East Somerset 0.49 
			 Bedfordshire 2.49 
			 Bexley — 
			 Birmingham — 
			 Blackburn with Darwen 0.20 
			 Blackpool — 
			 Bolton — 
			 Bournemouth — 
			 Bracknell Forest 0.08 
			 Bradford 0.48 
			 Brent — 
			 Brighton and Hove — 
			 Bristol, City of — 
			 Bromley 0.06 
			 Buckinghamshire 2.79 
			 Bury — 
			 Calderdale 0.55 
			 Cambridgeshire 5.88 
			 Camden — 
			 Cheshire 3.52 
			 City of London 0.002 
			 Cornwall 5.27 
			 Coventry — 
			 Croydon — 
			 Cumbria 6.37 
			 Darlington 0.34 
			 Derby — 
			 Derbyshire 4.36 
			 Devon 8.99 
			 Doncaster 1.62 
			 Dorset 3.90 
			 Dudley — 
			 Durham 2.61 
			 Ealing — 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 3.75 
			 East Sussex 2.74 
			 Enfield — 
			 Essex 6.27 
			 Gateshead 0.12 
			 Gloucestershire 4.16 
			 Greenwich — 
			 Hackney — 
			 Halton 0.06 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham — 
			 Hampshire 5.86 
			 Haringey — 
			 Harrow — 
			 Hartlepool 0.13 
			 Havering — 
			 Herefordshire 2.87 
			 Hertfordshire 2.68 
			 Hillingdon — 
			 Hounslow — 
			 Isle of Wight 0.92 
			 Islington — 
			 Kensington and Chelsea — 
			 Kent 5.92 
			 Kingston upon Hull, City of — 
			 Kingston upon Thames — 
			 Kirklees 1.01 
			 Knowsley 0.23 
			 Lambeth — 
			 Lancashire 4.66 
			 Leeds 0.69 
			 Leicester — 
			 Leicestershire 3.49 
			 Lewisham — 
			 Lincolnshire 9.35 
			 Liverpool — 
			 Luton — 
			 Manchester — 
			 Medway 0.42 
			 Merton — 
			 Middlesbrough — 
			 Milton Keynes 0.76 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne — 
			 Newham — 
			 Norfolk 8.80 
			 North East Lincolnshire 0.42 
			 North Lincolnshire 1.40 
			 North Somerset 0.77 
			 North Tyneside — 
			 North Yorkshire 10.17 
			 Northamptonshire 4.15 
			 Northumberland 3.29 
			 Nottingham — 
			 Nottinghamshire 3.27 
			 Oldham 0.21 
			 Oxfordshire 4.19 
			 Peterborough 0.49 
			 Plymouth — 
			 Poole — 
			 Portsmouth — 
			 Reading — 
			 Redbridge — 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 0.39 
			 Richmond upon Thames — 
			 Rochdale — 
			 Rotherham 0.49 
			 Rutland 0.57 
			 Salford — 
			 Sandwell — 
			 Sefton — 
			 Sheffield 0.32 
			 Shropshire 4.36 
			 Slough — 
			 Solihull 0.39 
			 Somerset 5.39 
			 South Gloucestershire 1.14 
			 South Tyneside — 
			 Southampton — 
			 Southend-on-Sea — 
			 Southwark — 
			 St. Helens 0.13 
			 Staffordshire 4.10 
			 Stockport — 
			 Stockton-on-Tees 0.29 
			 Stoke-on-Trent — 
			 Suffolk 6.12 
			 Sunderland — 
			 Surrey 2.14 
			 Sutton — 
			 Swindon 0.43 
			 Tameside — 
			 Telford and Wrekin 0.59 
			 Thurrock 0.21 
			 Torbay — 
			 Tower Hamlets — 
			 Trafford — 
			 Wakefield 0.24 
			 Walsall — 
			 Waltham Forest — 
			 Wandsworth — 
			 Warrington 0.06 
			 Warwickshire 3.38 
			 West Berkshire 1.05 
			 West Sussex 2.96 
			 Westminster — 
			 Wigan — 
			 Wiltshire 5.87 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead 0.38 
			 Wirral — 
			 Wokingham 0.38 
			 Wolverhampton — 
			 Worcestershire 2.34 
			 York 0.32

Schools: Staffordshire

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what factors were taken into account in deciding the amount allocated to Staffordshire for the school funding settlement for 2008-09 to 2010-11; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: Staffordshire's allocation of dedicated schools grant (DSG) for 2008-09 to 2010-11 depends on the following factors: the authority's 2007-08 guaranteed unit of funding for DSG; the number of pupils aged 3 to 15 in the authority's schools and early years providers; and includes an increase of £2.5 million for pockets of deprivation. Full details of the calculation of dedicated schools grant allocations may be found on TeacherNet at:
	http://www.teachernet.gov.uk/docbank/index.cfm?id=12222.

Schools: Standards

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether he has discussed with Ofsted the commissioning of research into the relative frequency of primary schools, junior schools and infant schools being placed in either special measures or notice to improve categories.

Jim Knight: Ofsted and DCSF have discussed the relative performance of different types of school in the primary age phase, and are continuing to analyse relevant data. I will write to the hon. Member with further details

Schools: Training

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families which obligatory training courses school staff must attend annually.

Jim Knight: There is a range of training and development opportunities available to all school staff, however there are no obligatory training courses which the Department requires school staff to attend annually.

Science: Secondary Education

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  what  (a) curricular and  (b) extra-curricular programmes his Department is supporting to encourage the study of science at key stages 3 and 4;
	(2)  how much his Department spent on promoting the study of science, technology, engineering and mathematics at key stage 3 in each year since 1997.

Jim Knight: The Government are supporting a number of curricular and extra curricular programmes that aim to encourage the study of science at key stages 3 and 4 and beyond. These include:
	The introduction of a new science programme of study at key stage 3 for first teaching from September 2008. As with the new science programme of study at key stage 4 that was introduced in 2006 it will maintain the breadth, depth and challenge of the previous curriculum, but will have a better balance between knowledge and understanding.
	The secondary national strategy which provides a comprehensive professional development programme for teachers which includes training and materials and support from local consultants who are experts in their field. The strategy sets high expectations and is designed to raise standards for all pupils in all circumstances, but also focuses on pupils who need extra support and who are falling behind.
	The national network of science learning centres to provide professional development for science teachers and technicians. The training focuses on encouraging innovative and exciting teaching practice that will enthuse and inspire young people and improve the subject specialism of science teachers.
	Piloting 250 after school science and engineering clubs offering an engaging and stretching programme of activities to key stage 3 pupils with interest and potential in science. A further 250 clubs will be established from September 2008.
	Establishing a system for coordinating the many enhancement and enrichment activities that are available to make it easier for schools to access them. This will include the publication of directories of nationally available activities.
	Project Faraday, which is developing inspirational exemplar designs for school laboratories which will reflect the latest thinking on what is required to ensure effective science teaching. A book showing the exemplar designs will be published in early 2008.
	The new triple science support programme, delivered by the Learning and Skills Network, which provides practical advice and support to schools to offer separate GCSEs in biology, physics and chemistry.
	Information on how much has been spent on science, technology, engineering and mathematics at key stage 3 since 1997 can be provided only at disproportionate cost or cannot be disaggregated from wider budgets.
	From September 2008 the Government want to make GCSEs in the individual sciences of physics, chemistry and biology (triple science) more accessible to pupils who would benefit. To achieve this we are introducing a non statutory entitlement to triple science for all pupils who achieve level 6 in science at key stage 3. All specialist science colleges will be expected to deliver triple science from 2008. The Government have also put in place the triple science support programme to support schools as mentioned above. This will include the delivery of 600 days of training to schools by the end of March 2008. The programme has also established 40 local triple science networks to support schools starting to offer triple science.

Science: Teachers

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what estimates he has made of the proportion of  (a) science and  (b) mathematics teachers in secondary schools who were not qualified at degree level in these subjects in each year from 1995 to 2007.

Jim Knight: The information is not available in the format requested, but information on the level of qualification of full-time teachers in service in secondary schools in the subjects they teach is available from the Secondary School Curriculum and Staffing Survey (SSCSS) an occasional sample survey undertaken in the years 1988, 1992, 1996, 2002 and 2007. 2007 figures are expected to be published in early 2008.
	The following tables provide the number of full-time teachers employed in maintained secondary schools by the highest post A-level qualification held in the subjects they teach in 1996 and 2002 the years currently available.
	
		
			  Teachers in service:  Full-time teachers in maintained secondary schools—highest level of qualification( 1)  by subject of qualification( 2) , at November 1996,  England 
			   Percentage  Total 
			   Degree( 3)  BEd  PGCE  Cert Ed  Other  qual.  Total  Number (thousand) 
			 Mathematics 47 18 15 17 3 100 27.1 
			 English 49 18 14 18 1 100 31.6 
			 Biology 55 13 14 18 1 100 11.3 
			 Chemistry 66 10 14 10 — 100 10.7 
			 Physics 53 12 20 13 2 100 10.4 
			 General Science 29 13 44 13 1 100 15.5 
			 Other Sciences 66 10 12 10 2 100 6.2 
			 French 59 12 16 10 2 100 15.5 
			 German 64 11 18 4 3 100 6.9 
			 Spanish 68 5 21 — 6 100 2.5 
			 Other Modem Languages 68 5 18 4 5 100 2.7 
			 Design and Technology 16 32 13 35 4 100 11.1 
			 Information Technology 36 17 19 8 20 100 4.9 
			 Other Technology 47 13 6 19 15 100 4.4 
			 Home Economics 13 25 4 55 3 100 6.8 
			 Business Studies 31 22 18 17 12 100 4.3 
			 Classics 83 3 7 2 6 100 1.4 
			 History 54 14 14 17 1 100 19.2 
			 Religious Education 34 20 17 26 3 100 8.6 
			 Geography 43 22 12 23 1 100 15.6 
			 Other Social Studies 70 14 8 6 3 100 11.3 
			 Combined Arts/Humanities/Social Studies 55 19 14 11 1 100 4.2 
			 Music 49 16 9 23 2 100 6.3 
			 Drama 27 19 25 25 4 100 8.0 
			 Art 42 17 9 30 3 100 10.8 
			 Physical Education 13 37 11 38 1 100 22.0 
			 Careers Education 11 10 11 20 48 100 0.9 
			 Personal and Social Education 24 17 22 20 16 100 2.3 
			 General Studies 20 23 28 24 5 100 2.2 
			 General Primary Subjects 14 9 48 21 8 100 1.0 
			 Other 45 13 10 10 22 100 21.5 
			 
			 Total(2) 44 18 15 19 4 100 307.2 
			 (1) Where a teacher has more than one post A-level qualification in the same subject, the qualification level is determined by the highest level reading from left (degree) to right (other qualifications). For example, teachers shown under PGCE have a PGCE but not a degree or BEd in the subject, while those with a PGCE and a degree are shown only under degree. (2) Teachers are counted once against each subject in which they have a post A-level qualification (3) Includes higher degrees but excludes BEds.  Source: 1996/97 Secondary Schools Curriculum and Staffing Survey. 
		
	
	
		
			  Teachers in service: Full-time teachers in maintained secondary schools—highest post A-level qualifications( 1)  held in the subjects they teach( 2)  to year groups 7-13, England 
			   Percentage  
			   Degree( 3)  BEd  PGCE  Cert Ed  Other qual.  No qual.  Total teachers (thousand) 
			 Mathematics 42 ± 3 15 ± 2 9 ± 2 7 ± 1 2 ± 1 24 ± 2 28.2 
			 English 51 ± 3 15 ± 2 7 ± 1 6 ± 1 1 ± 1 20 ± 2 29.4 
			 
			 Combined/General science 62 ± 3 12 ± 2 10 ± 2 4 ± 1 1 ± 1 11 ± 2 28.3 
			 Biology(4) 71 ± 5 7 ± 3 11 ± 4 3 ± 2 - ± 1 7 ± 3 5.6 
			 Chemistry(4) 72 ± 5 6 ± 3 12 ± 4 1 ± 1 1 ± 1 7 ± 3 5.2 
			 Physics(4) 63 ± 6 11 ± 4 15 ± 4 3 ± 2 - ± - 8 ± 3 4.7 
			 Other sciences(4) 10 ± 6 4 ± 4 5 ± 4 - ± - - ± - 80 ± 8 1.6 
			 
			 French 54 ± 3 7 ± 2 10 ± 2 3 ± 1 2 ± 1 23 ± 3 16.0 
			 German 47 ± 5 6 ± 3 13 ± 4 1 ± 1 2 ± 1 30 ± 5 6.9 
			 Spanish 37 ± 7 8 ± 4 19 ± 6 - ± - 3 ± 2 33 ± 7 3.6 
			 Other modern languages 18 ± 8 - ± - 9 ± 7 - ± - 3 ± 4 71 ±10 1.4 
			 
			 Design and technology(5) 26 ± 3 20 ± 3 7 ± 2 21 ± 3 2 ± 1 24 ± 3 20.9 
			 ICT(5, 6) 13 ± 2 6 ± 1 8 ± 2 2 ± 1 3 ± 1 69 ± 3 18.9 
			 Other/Combined technology(5) 30± 1 0 13 ± 8 16 ± 7 18 ± 9 2 ± 3 20 ± 9 1.6 
			 
			 Business studies 30 ± 5 11 ± 4 9 ± 3 4 ± 2 3 ± 2 43 ± 5 6.5 
			 Classics 33 ± 7 - ± - 2 ± 4 2 ± - - ± - 63 ± 7 1.0 
			 History 57 ± 4 9 ± 2 6 ± 2 6 ± 2 - ± - 23 ± 3 13.7 
			 Religious education 22 ± 3 8 ± 2 8 ± 2 4 ± 1 2 ± 1 57 ± 4 14.2 
			 Geography 53 ± 4 9 ± 2 6 ± 2 5 ± 2 1 ± 1 25 ± 3 13.7 
			 Other social studies 35 ± 5 6 ± 3 2 ± 2 2 ± 1 - ± 1 54 ± 6 4.9 
			 Combined arts/humanities/ social studies 5 ± 3 4 ± 2 7 ± 3 1 ± 1 1 ± 1 83 ± 5 5.3 
			 
			 Music 59 ± 5 15 ± 4 5 ± 2 6 ± 3 2 ± 2 13 ± 4 6.3 
			 Drama 25 ± 4 10 ± 3 12 ± 3 6 ± 2 2 ± 1 45 ± 5 8.1 
			 Art and design 54 ± 4 10 ± 3 7 ± 2 9 ± 3 1 ± 1 20 ± 4 9.3 
			 Physical education 25 ± 3 31 ± 3 6 ± 2 13 ± 2 2 ± 1 22 ± 2 21.4 
			 Careers education 2 ± 2 1 ± 2 3 ± 3 4 ± 4 3 ± 4 87 ± 7 1.5 
			 PSHE(6) 1 ± - 1 ± - 2 ± 1 1 ± - - ± - 95 ± 1 61.4 
			 General studies 1 ± 1 2 ± 1 1 ± 1 - ± 1 - ± - 95 ± 2 7.1 
			 Citizenship 2 ± 1 1 ± 1 2 ± 1 - ± 1 - ± - 94 ± 2 9.0 
			 Other — — — — — — 32.8 
			 
			 Total(2, 7) 33 ± - 10 ±- 7 ± - 5 ± - 1 ± - 44 ± - 388.4 
			 '-' = zero or less than 0.5. (1) Where a teacher has more than one post A-level qualification in the same subject, the qualification level is determined by the highest level reading from left (degree) to right (other qual.). For example, teachers shown under PGCE have a PGCE but not a degree or BEd in the subject, while those with a PGCE and a degree are shown only under degree. (2) Teachers are counted once against each subject which they are teaching. (3) Includes higher degrees but excludes BEds. (4) Teachers qualified in combined/general science are treated as qualified to teach biology, chemistry, or physics. Teachers qualified in biology, chemistry or physics are treated as qualified to teach combined/general science. (5) Teachers qualified in other/combined technology are treated as qualified to teach design and technology or information and communication technology. Teachers qualified in design and technology or information and communication technology are treated as qualified to teach other/combined technology. (6) Information and Communication Technology is abbreviated as ICT and Personal Social and Health Education is abbreviated as PSHE. (7) 'Other' not included in total percentages.  Source: Secondary Schools Curriculum and Staffing Survey 2002.

Secondary Education: GCE A Levels

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what proportion of secondary schools with sixth forms submitted more than one pupil for A Level in  (a) mathematics,  (b) physics,  (c) chemistry,  (d) biology,  (e) French,  (f) Spanish,  (g) German and  (h) Mandarin in the latest year for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The 2006/07 revised figures are provided as follows:
	
		
			   Number of secondary schools with sixth forms who submitted more than one pupil for A level  Percentage of secondary schools with sixth forms who submitted more than one pupil for a level 
			 Mathematics 2,353 92.9 
			 Physics 2,060 81.3 
			 Chemistry 2,202 86.9 
			 Biology 2,270 89.6 
			 French 1,561 61.6 
			 Spanish 810 32.0 
			 German 1,032 40.7 
			 Mandarin 297 11.7

Secondary Education: Teaching Methods

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what estimate has been made of the cost of introducing small group tuition into secondary schools.

Jim Knight: There is no single DCSF programme of small group tuition, although there are various programmes which encourage its use, including the Every Child a Reader and Every Child Counts programmes in primary schools, and Study Plus in secondary schools.
	This range of programmes and the variety and flexibility of approaches used in schools already, means that we cannot give a simple cost for small group teaching in either primary or secondary schools. However, £1.6 billion has been committed to support personalised learning over the CSR period 2008-11, building on the £990 million allocated over the last two years This funding is designed to ensure that every school has the capacity to deliver personalised learning, including the use of smaller groups where appropriate.

Specialised Diplomas

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will make a statement on the equivalence between diplomas and GCSEs.

Jim Knight: On 18 December 2007, the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) announced that the diplomas will be judged equivalent to 5 GCSEs grade A*-G at the foundation level, 7 GCSEs grade A*-C at the higher level and 3.5 A levels grade A*-E at the advanced level. The equivalence given to diplomas reflects the size and challenge of completing a large composite qualification.

Specialised Diplomas

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what estimate he has made of the cost of introducing the new system of school diplomas.

Jim Knight: The estimated cost of introducing diplomas for 2008/09 is as follows:
	KS4: £158 million direct/indirect costs of delivery
	£45 million for the additional costs of work force development
	The LSC will provide funding for 16 to 18-year-olds taking up diplomas in sixth forms and colleges based on the funding rates published on 21 December 2007 at http://www.lsc.gov.uk/providers/funding-policy/strategic-overview These are based on an assessment of cost for each diploma line and level of learning.
	The cost in subsequent years will not be known until the number of places and learners are confirmed.

Specialised Diplomas: Finance

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what additional finance will be made available to schools for each student studying for a diploma; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: An initial allocation of £26 million to cover the additional costs of Diplomas in respect of pupils starting Diplomas at KS4 in 2008/09 was notified to local authorities on 18 December 2007. The average level of funding payable per student from this source in 2008/09 will amount to £1,000.
	The LSC will provide funding for 16 to 18-year-olds taking up Diplomas in sixth forms and colleges based on the funding rates published on 21 December 2007.
	Further details of the funding available and the rates that apply can be accessed through the 14-19 education and skills website at:
	http://www,dfes.gov.uk/14-19/index.cfm?sid=43

Specialist Schools: Barnet

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families which schools in Barnet have specialist status; what their specialisms are in each case; what funding was made available to each in the latest period for which figures are available; what outstanding applications for specialist status there are; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The following table shows the information requested. There are 13 maintained secondary schools in Brent local authority, all of which have specialist status. The Government remain committed to the specialist schools programme as a means of raising attainment and achievement for all secondary aged pupils.
	
		
			  School name  Specialism  Second specialisms  Leading options  Specialist school recurrent funding 2007-08 (£) 
			 Alperton Community School Maths and Computing — — 181,379 
			 Cardinal Hinsley Mathematics and Computing College Maths and Computing — — 59,985 
			 Claremont High School Arts Maths and Computing Vocational 343,989 
			 Convent of Jesus and Mary Language College Language — — 159,000 
			 Copland—A Specialist Science Community College Science — — 215,559 
			 JFS Humanities — — 223,209 
			 John Kelly Boys' Technology College Technology — — 94,170 
			 John Kelly Girls' Technology College Technology Language — 211,260 
			 Kingsbury High School Maths and Computing — — 226,653 
			 Preston Manor High School Science — Raising Achievement Transforming Learning 220,185 
			 Queen's Park Community School Business and Enterprise — — 129.000 
			 St. Gregory RC High School Science — — 129,000 
			 Wembley High Technology College Technology — Training School 190,134

Teachers: Greater London

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many  (a) full-time and  (b) part-time (i) primary and (ii) secondary school teachers there were in each London borough in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The following tables provide separately the full-time and part-time headcount and part-time full-time equivalent (FTE) number of regular teachers employed in local authority maintained nursery/primary and secondary schools in England, London and each London local authority, January 2003 to 2007.
	
		
			  Headcount of full-time regular teachers( 1)  in local authority maintained nursery/primary and secondary schools in England and each London local authority, January 2003 to 2007 
			   2003  2004  2005 
			   Nursery/primary  Secondary  Nursery/primary  Secondary  Nursery/primary  Secondary 
			 England 176,460 189,830 174,230 192,780 172,580 196,050 
			
			 London 26,620 25,850 26,940 26,100 26,860 26,820 
			
			 City of London 20 — 10 — 10 — 
			 Camden 530 630 540 630 530 640 
			 Greenwich 850 910 910 920 860 1,020 
			 Hackney 860 540 850 490 930 500 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 450 450 510 420 490 490 
			 Islington 680 500 670 560 690 530 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 350 250 360 230 360 230 
			 Lambeth 910 480 930 490 990 540 
			 Lewisham 950 720 920 710 920 700 
			 Southwark 1,120 700 1,080 710 1,050 710 
			 Tower Hamlets 1,040 920 1,040 910 1,080 940 
			 Wandsworth 800 610 790 640 810 670 
			 Westminster 540 600 550 590 520 600 
			 Barking and Dagenham 720 750 760 790 740 780 
			 Barnet 1,080 1,340 1,090 1,280 1,090 1,250 
			 Bexley 810 1,010 790 1,040 790 990 
			 Brent 980 1,100 1,030 1,060 1,010 1,200 
			 Bromley 980 1,220 970 1,280 980 1,330 
			 Croydon 1,370 1,110 1,350 1,110 1,270 1,150 
			 Ealing 1,070 900 1,110 890 1,070 940 
			 Enfield 1,110 1,330 1,120 1,360 1,130 1,400 
			 Haringey 930 720 900 750 910 800 
			 Harrow 780 530 780 530 780 540 
			 Havering 840 990 820 1,010 810 990 
			 Hillingdon 940 1,030 960 1,100 970 1,150 
			 Hounslow 760 1,000 790 1,070 810 1,080 
			 Kingston upon Thames 460 550 450 530 460 550 
			 Merton 590 490 560 460 580 480 
			 Newham 1,270 1,140 1,460 1,140 1,420 1,170 
			 Redbridge 930 1,200 950 1,210 920 1,170 
			 Richmond upon Thames 480 420 470 380 470 390 
			 Sutton 600 900 570 870 550 920 
			 Waltham Forest 810 820 840 950 850 970 
		
	
	
		
			   2006  2007 
			   Nursery/primary  Secondary  Nursery/primary  Secondary 
			 England 172,050 196,530 169,910 196,480 
			  
			 London 27,130 27,050 27,290 26,850 
			  
			 City of London 10 — 10 — 
			 Camden 540 680 560 690 
			 Greenwich 910 1,010 870 1,040 
			 Hackney 920 480 940 470 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 480 450 460 390 
			 Islington 680 570 680 560 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 370 230 370 230 
			 Lambeth 980 520 1,010 550 
			 Lewisham 910 630 930 640 
			 Southwark 1,050 690 1,080 610 
			 Tower Hamlets 1,100 1,010 1,140 1,040 
			 Wandsworth 810 650 810 670 
			 Westminster 530 590 570 490 
			 Barking and Dagenham 740 830 750 840 
			 Barnet 1,130 1,240 1,050 1,230 
			 Bexley 810 1,020 810 1,050 
			 Brent 1,030 1,190 1,050 1,210 
			 Bromley 980 1,350 980 1,380 
			 Croydon 1,190 1,140 1,150 1,140 
			 Ealing 1,070 940 1,110 970 
			 Enfield 1,160 1,450 1,160 1,430 
			 Haringey 930 810 930 780 
			 Harrow 800 550 800 590 
			 Havering 780 1,090 780 1,060 
			 Hillingdon 1,010 1,090 1,020 1,100 
			 Hounslow 810 1,070 790 1,060 
			 Kingston upon Thames 460 550 460 580 
			 Merton 590 490 590 380 
			 Newham 1,470 1,200 1,490 1,190 
			 Redbridge 1,000 1,250 1,000 1,290 
			 Richmond upon Thames 470 410 470 350 
			 Sutton 550 910 590 950 
			 Waltham Forest 880 960 900 920 
			 '—' Nil or negligible (1) Excludes teachers in occasional service on contracts of less than one month.  Note: Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 
		
	
	
		
			  Headcount of part-time regular teachers( 1)  in local authority maintained nursery/primary and secondary schools in England and each London local authority, January 2003 to 2007 
			   2003  2004  2005 
			   Nursery/primary  Secondary  Nursery/primary  Secondary  Nursery/primary  Secondary 
			 England 42,660 31,930 45,030 33,660 47,660 34,930 
			
			 London 6,420 4,260 6,460 4,300 6,690 4,390 
			
			 City of London 10 — 10 — 10 — 
			 Camden 110 80 150 130 130 130 
			 Greenwich 260 210 250 210 330 290 
			 Hackney 180 100 190 90 170 90 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 90 50 120 90 90 70 
			 Islington 140 80 140 60 140 70 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 80 70 90 50 100 60 
			 Lambeth 210 80 210 90 180 100 
			 Lewisham 300 160 290 180 290 180 
			 Southwark 160 80 150 50 170 60 
			 Tower Hamlets 200 210 210 170 200 110 
			 Wandsworth 220 150 210 170 220 180 
			 Westminster 200 210 190 230 100 120 
			 Barking and Dagenham 80 70 90 70 100 80 
			 Barnet 420 240 390 250 410 240 
			 Bexley 160 110 160 110 160 110 
			 Brent 230 110 210 80 220 100 
			 Bromley 300 310 260 290 250 270 
			 Croydon 390 200 330 160 520 270 
			 Ealing 190 200 250 150 230 140 
			 Enfield 280 170 320 190 330 190 
			 Haringey 180 70 200 80 210 90 
			 Harrow 320 120 250 120 280 120 
			 Havering 220 160 250 190 240 170 
			 Hillingdon 170 120 230 180 230 180 
			 Hounslow 160 120 140 140 160 140 
			 Kingston upon Thames 130 90 170 130 130 130 
			 Merton 150 80 150 70 170 80 
			 Newham 90 90 190 110 110 90 
			 Redbridge 210 180 210 180 220 210 
			 Richmond upon Thames 210 80 210 70 210 60 
			 Sutton 190 150 190 130 210 170 
			 Waltham Forest 180 110 160 100 150 90 
		
	
	
		
			   2006  2007 
			   Nursery/primary  Secondary  Nursery/primary  Secondary 
			 England 52,420 35,850 53,900 36,610 
			  
			 London 7,050 4,500 7,030 4,310 
			  
			 City of London 10 — — — 
			 Camden 120 130 130 130 
			 Greenwich 300 230 260 200 
			 Hackney 190 100 220 120 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 110 110 110 70 
			 Islington 150 70 150 50 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 110 50 90 50 
			 Lambeth 200 100 220 80 
			 Lewisham 300 150 280 130 
			 Southwark 210 80 200 60 
			 Tower Hamlets 190 130 190 120 
			 Wandsworth 230 210 250 220 
			 Westminster 110 70 100 60 
			 Barking and Dagenham 110 80 110 110 
			 Barnet 440 250 400 200 
			 Bexley 200 140 210 130 
			 Brent 260 110 230 110 
			 Bromley 290 280 300 280 
			 Croydon 400 190 410 220 
			 Ealing 230 150 240 140 
			 Enfield 350 200 360 200 
			 Haringey 240 100 220 120 
			 Harrow 340 140 300 120 
			 Havering 240 190 260 170 
			 Hillingdon 230 160 270 190 
			 Hounslow 200 170 190 170 
			 Kingston upon Thames 160 140 170 110 
			 Merton 190 70 200 70 
			 Newham 130 100 140 100 
			 Redbridge 220 250 230 240 
			 Richmond upon Thames 260 70 240 70 
			 Sutton 150 190 220 170 
			 Waltham Forest 180 120 150 110 
			 '—' Nil or negligible (1 )Excludes teachers in occasional service on contracts of less than one month.  Note: Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 
		
	
	
		
			  Part-time FTE regular teachers( 1)  in local authority maintained nursery/primary and secondary schools in England and each London local authority, January 2003 to 2007 
			   2003  2004  2005 
			   Nursery/primary  Secondary  Nursery/primary  Secondary  Nursery/primary  Secondary 
			 England 20,900 16,960 22,410 18,220 23,690 19,010 
			
			 London 3,140 2,280 3,150 2,250 3,340 2,370 
			
			 City of London — — — — — — 
			 Camden 80 40 80 70 70 70 
			 Greenwich 130 100 120 100 140 110 
			 Hackney 90 40 90 40 90 40 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 50 30 60 40 40 40 
			 Islington 70 50 90 30 70 40 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 40 30 40 20 50 20 
			 Lambeth 110 40 100 40 100 40 
			 Lewisham 150 90 150 90 140 100 
			 Southwark 80 50 80 30 90 40 
			 Tower Hamlets 90 140 110 90 110 60 
			 Wandsworth 100 80 90 80 110 80 
			 Westminster 80 70 60 70 70 100 
			 Barking and Dagenham 40 30 40 30 40 30 
			 Barnet 200 140 200 140 200 140 
			 Bexley 80 60 80 60 80 60 
			 Brent 140 50 90 50 110 50 
			 Bromley 140 160 130 160 130 150 
			 Croydon 140 90 160 90 240 140 
			 Ealing 90 130 100 70 110 70 
			 Enfield 160 100 180 110 190 120 
			 Haringey 90 40 100 50 110 50 
			 Harrow 140 60 130 70 150 70 
			 Havering 100 90 110 100 110 90 
			 Hillingdon 90 60 90 90 90 90 
			 Hounslow 80 70 80 80 90 90 
			 Kingston upon Thames 60 50 70 60 70 80 
			 Merton 70 50 70 40 80 50 
			 Newham 60 50 50 60 60 50 
			 Redbridge 110 100 110 100 110 120 
			 Richmond upon Thames 100 40 110 40 110 40 
			 Sutton 90 70 100 80 110 100 
			 Waltham Forest 100 60 80 60 100 40 
		
	
	
		
			   2006  2007 
			   Nursery/primary  Secondary  Nursery/primary  Secondary 
			 England 26,150 19,750 27,190 20,360 
			  
			 London 3,600 2,430 3,680 2,350 
			  
			 City of London — — — — 
			 Camden 70 70 70 70 
			 Greenwich 170 110 200 100 
			 Hackney 90 40 120 50 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 50 50 60 40 
			 Islington 80 30 80 30 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 50 20 50 20 
			 Lambeth 100 40 110 40 
			 Lewisham 160 90 160 70 
			 Southwark 110 40 100 30 
			 Tower Hamlets 100 70 110 70 
			 Wandsworth 120 90 120 90 
			 Westminster 50 30 50 30 
			 Barking and Dagenham 40 40 50 50 
			 Barnet 210 130 220 120 
			 Bexley 110 90 110 80 
			 Brent 120 70 110 70 
			 Bromley 150 150 160 160 
			 Croydon 190 110 190 110 
			 Ealing 120 80 90 80 
			 Enfield 190 110 200 120 
			 Haringey 120 60 120 70 
			 Harrow 170 70 160 70 
			 Havering 110 110 120 90 
			 Hillingdon 110 80 120 100 
			 Hounslow 110 100 120 100 
			 Kingston upon Thames 80 80 80 60 
			 Merton 90 40 90 40 
			 Newham 70 60 90 60 
			 Redbridge 130 130 130 140 
			 Richmond upon Thames 130 50 130 40 
			 Sutton 120 110 110 100 
			 Waltham Forest 90 70 80 70 
			 '—' Nil or negligible (1) Excludes teachers in occasional service on contracts of less than one month.  Note: Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.

Teachers: Public Opinion

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the answer of 18 December 2007,  Official Report, column 1282W, on teachers: public opinion, what  (a) discussion groups and  (b) other qualitative and quantitive opinion research of teachers commissioned by his Department have been conducted in each of the last six months.

Jim Knight: The Department often commissions research which involves both quantitive and qualitative research methods. However, the appropriate data collection method varies dependent on the research aims and the time and budget available to carry out the research project. Data on what  (a) other discussion groups and  (b) other qualitative and quantitive opinion research of teachers commissioned by my Department is not readily available. Gathering this information would be at a disproportionate cost.

Airports: Security

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 17 December 2007,  Official Report, column 1165W, on airports: security, whether photographic security procedures applied to people travelling to Belfast from UK airports are applied to passengers travelling to other UK destinations in an identical manner.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 14 January 2008
	 As my hon. Friend, the Under-Secretary of State for Transport (Jim Fitzpatrick), stated in his answer on 17 December 2007, the aviation security measures in place in the UK apply equally to all airports within the National Aviation Security programme.
	Separately, the police require airlines to present passengers in a manner that would prevent any attempt to evade police scrutiny. To meet this requirement a number of airports across the United Kingdom have deployed digital imaging to ensure that the passenger who actually boards the aircraft is the same passenger that checked in. Digital imaging has been determined as the least intrusive method of meeting the police requirement, but there may be some variation in practice between airports.

Antisocial Behaviour

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many incidents of antisocial behaviour were reported to the Respect Task Force in each of the last three years.

Vernon Coaker: The Home Office does not record incidents of antisocial behaviour. Any such incidents are usually reported to the police, local authority, landlord or other frontline agency public whose task it is to deal directly with that problem. However, in common with many other Government Departments, for example Communities and Local Government or the Ministry of Justice, we do receive representations from members of the public, direct or through their Member of Parliament, about our policies in the field of antisocial behaviour. We received over 2,000 such letters and e-mails in the three years from 2005 to 2007.

Arrests: Drugs

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been tested for illegal drug use who have been arrested on suspicion of other non-drug related crimes; and how many of those tested positive for illegal drug use in  (a) England and Wales and  (b) broken down by police force area in each year since 1997.

Vernon Coaker: Since 2003 drug testing of offenders for specified Class A drugs in police custody has operated as part of the Drug Interventions Programme.
	The police currently have the power to request persons aged 18 and over in police detention who have been charged or arrested with a "trigger offence", to provide a sample for testing for the presence of a specified Class A drug. Drug testing can be conducted only for offences where there is a substantial link to the use of heroin or cocaine/crack.
	The trigger offences are set out in Schedule 6 to the Criminal Justice and Court Services Act 2000. These are the offences which have been shown to have the clearest link with drug misuse, particularly the misuse of heroin and cocaine/crack.
	A person arrested or charged with a non trigger offence may be tested if a police officer decides that there are reasonable grounds to suspect that Class A drug use caused or contributed to the offence. The decision to authorise a sample must be referred to a police officer of at least the rank of Inspector.
	Given the framework above, the data requested is not available.

Asylum Seekers

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the procedures are for reporting cases of physical and verbal abuse  (a) by and  (b) against failed asylum seekers during the removal process; and how many cases there have been of each in the last 12 months.

Liam Byrne: When an incident of verbal or physical abuse occurs against escort staff by detainees (which includes failed asylum seekers), staff are required to complete an incident report and submit the report to senior managers. Staff can also report the matter to the police. Detainees wishing to complain against escort staff use complaints forms that are freely available in removal centres and submit them in confidence to the Border and Immigration Agency Removal Centre Manager. Information on cases of physical and verbal abuse by and against failed asylum seekers is not collected separately and is therefore not available.

Asylum: Entry Clearances

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 7 January 2008,  Official Report, column 261W, on asylum: entry clearances, whether the number of asylum applicants granted discretionary leave to remain in each of the categories set out in criteria for granting discretionary leave is recorded by her Department.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 17 January 2008
	Grants of discretionary leave (DL) are recorded on individual files. Information is collated on the total number of grants of DL and the number of grants of DL made at initial decision on applications by unaccompanied asylum seeking children aged 17 and under at the time of decision: but not by sub-category. Information at sub-category level can be obtained only by examination of individual records at disproportionate cost.

Asylum: Housing

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were supported in National Asylum Support Service and Border and Immigration Agency accommodation in  (a) Newcastle and  (b) the North East in each quarter of (i) 2005, (ii) 2006 and (ii) 2007.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 15 January 2008
	The numbers of asylum seekers in receipt of support, broken down by Government office region and local authority, are published on a quarterly and annual basis. Copies of these publications are available from the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html.
	Further breakdowns, of those in receipt of support by parliamentary constituency, are also available from the Library of the House.

Asylum: Newcastle City Council

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what National Asylum Support Services contract costs were paid to Newcastle city council in  (a) 2004-05,  (b) 2005-06 and  (c) 2006-07; and how much is expected to be paid in 2007-08.

Liam Byrne: The Border and Immigration Agency (BIA) has in place a contract with (NECARS—North East Consortium for Asylum and Refugee Support) for which the lead authority is Newcastle city council. The BIA does not hold a separate contract for asylum support with Newcastle city council.

Asylum: Somalia

Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many failed asylum seekers of each age group and sex were returned to Somalia in the six months from 1 July 2007; what her policy is on returning women and children to Somalia; and what areas in Somalia are considered safe for return.

Liam Byrne: A breakdown of removals to Somalia according to age and sex is set out in the following table. Information relating to the number of asylum applicants removed from the UK during the last quarter of 2007 will be published shortly in the Asylum Statistics: 4th Quarter 2007 bulletin, copies of which will be available from the House Library.
	All returns to Somalia, including returns of women and children are assessed on their individual merits against the background of the latest country information and will only take place where it is established that there are no protection needs.
	Those without any legal basis of stay in the UK may also return voluntarily to Somalia. There are scheduled air services to a number of destinations in Somalia—Mogadishu, Bosasso, Hargeisa, Berbera, Burao and Galcaiyo.
	
		
			  Removals, voluntary departures and assisted returns( 1)  of asylum applicants, including dependants, to Somalia, July to September 2007( 2) 
			  Number of removals 
			   Gender  
			  Age of applicant at removal date  Male  Female  Total 
			 Under 18 — — — 
			 18-29 * — * 
			 30-39 5 * 5 
			 40-49 * — * 
			 50-59 — — — 
			 60+ — * * 
			 Total 5 * 10 
			 (1) Includes enforced removals, persons departing voluntarily after enforcement action had been initiated against them, persons leaving under Assisted Voluntary Return Programmes run by the International Organisation for Migration and those who it is established have left the UK without informing the immigration authorities. (2) Figures are rounded to the nearest five (— = 0, * = 1 or 2) and may not sum to the totals shown because of independent rounding.  Note: Persons who had sought asylum at some stage, including dependants.

Crimes of Violence: Elderly

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many elderly people in Teesside reported being a victim of violent crime in  (a) Teesside and  (b) Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland in each of the last 10 years.

Vernon Coaker: The information requested is not available.
	Police recorded crime statistics are available at police force and local authority area level but details relating to the age of victims of crime is not collected. The British Crime Survey does collect this information and it can provide this data at national level but not at police force or local authority area level.

Criminal Proceedings: Disclosure of Information

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will list the codes of practice issued under the  (a) Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 and  (b) Criminal Procedure and Investigations Act 1996 on the disclosure of information to defendants; what changes have been made to each since their original publication date; which have been subject to (i) a review and (ii) a public consultation by her Department; and if she will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: The information requested is as follows:
	 PACE Codes
	The following Codes of Practice have been issued under the provisions of section 60 and Part VI of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984. These are:
	Code A: Stop and Search introduced 1 January 1986 SI 1985/1937
	Code B: Entry search and seizure introduced 1 January 1986 SI 1985/1937
	Code C: Detention Questioning and Treatment (excluding terrorism cases) introduced 1 January 1986 S11985/1937
	Code D: Identification introduced 1 January 1986 SI 1985/1937
	Code E: Tape/Audio recording of interviews with suspects introduced on 20 July 1988 SI 1988/1200
	Code F: Visual Recording of interviews with suspects introduced on 30 October 2002 SI 2002/2527. Selected force areas for pilot purposes. Order revoked 1 November 2003 SI 2003/2463
	Code G: Arrest introduced on 1 January 2006 SI 2005/3503
	Code H: Detention Questioning and Treatment (terrorism cases only) introduced on 25 July 2006 SI 2006/1938
	All changes proposed to the PACE Codes are subject to parliamentary scrutiny and approval. Prior to presentation before Parliament, either a full public consultation is carried out or a consultation with statutory stakeholders in accordance with section 67 (4) of PACE. The determination of the consultation process is carried out in discussion with the Home Affairs Select Committee.
	The codes have been subject to change since their introduction in 1986. These changes have been carried out to reflect changes in the provisions of PACE and other legislation governing police powers and procedure. The changes have been detailed and extensive. An itemised list of all changes made since 1986 is not held centrally. However, I have placed in the Library a list of the relevant SIs relating to the introduction of and revision to the PACE Codes since 1986 with a brief description of their effect; and details of the more recent changes can be found on the Home Office websites at:
	http://police.homeoffice.gov.uk/operational-policing/powers-pace-codes/pace-code-intro
	In March 2007 we announced the review of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 and associated codes of practice (see PACE Review page on the Home Office website). We are currently considering final proposals on making the contents of the codes more accessible to both practitioners and members of the public. Final proposals will be subject to a final consultation in spring 2008.
	 CPIA Code
	The original Code of Practice under section 23(1) of the Criminal Procedure and Investigations Act 1996 (CPIA) was introduced by SI 1997/1033 and came into effect on 1 April 1997. A new version of this code of practice was introduced by SI 2005/985 and came into effect on 4 April 2005 (http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2005/20050985.htm). The 2005 version of this code was preceded by a review and a public consultation exercise, "Criminal Justice Act 2003 Implementation: Disclosure Codes of Practice A Consultation Document". (http://www. homeoffice.gov.uk/documents/2004-cons-cja-implementation/2004-cons-cja-implementation-doc?view=Binary)
	The main changes made in the revised version include new provision for deputy disclosure officers and greater facility for the retention of copies instead of original investigative material.

Dangerous Driving

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps the Government plans to take to reduce levels of street racing.

Vernon Coaker: It is an offence under section 12(1) of the Road Traffic Act 1988 for a person to promote or take part in a race between motor vehicles on a highway. The offence carries a maximum fine at level 4 (£2,500), obligatory disqualification and obligatory endorsement of between three and 11 penalty points on the offender's licence. The police also have a power under section 59 of the Police Reform Act 2002 to seize a vehicle that is being driven carelessly or inconsiderately on road contrary to section 3 of the 1988 Act and in such a way as to cause or be likely to cause alarm distress or annoyance. Enforcement of the law and exercise of the seizure power are operational matters for the police.

Departmental Freedom of Information

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what requests were made to her Department under the Freedom of Information Act (FOI) 2000 in each of the last two years; and what the  (a) FOI case reference number,  (b) request summary,  (c) request outcome and  (d) where appropriate, reason for exemption was in each case.

Jacqui Smith: In 2005 1,970 requests were received in the Home Office, of which 1,469 were resolvable. The non-resolvable cases were those where no information was held or where advice and assistance was provided. Of the 1,469 resolvable requests, 42 per cent. of the requests were granted in full and 35 per cent. were withheld in full. The remainder of requests resulted in a partial disclosure or the requests were not replied to in 2005.
	In 2006 2,861 requests were received of which 1,790 were resolvable. Of the resolvable requests, 42 per cent. were granted in full and 33 per cent were withheld in full. The remainder resulted in a partial disclosure or the requests were not replied to in 2006.
	Between 1 January and 30 September 2007, 1,849 requests were received, of which 1,270 were resolvable. Of the resolvable requests, 50 per cent. were granted in full and 24 per cent. were withheld in full. The remainder resulted in a partial disclosure or the requests were still being processed after 30 September last year. All percentages have been rounded to the nearest whole number.
	All Freedom of Information requests are logged on an Access database. An automatic case reference number is generated by the database when a new case is added.
	Unfortunately a summary of each request received by the Department could be provided only at disproportionate cost. FOI requests are often contained within letters detailing individual's personal circumstances. To put the details of the requests into the public domain would require personal information (which would allow identification of the individual to be ascertained) to be removed. This could be done only at disproportionate cost. The Home Office disclosure log provides a useful picture of the types of request received by the Department and the information which has been disclosed as a result. The disclosure log can be found at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/about-us/freedom-of-information/released-information/
	It is also impossible to provide the specific reason why an exemption is applied without consulting each FOI response issued by the Department. Collating this information could be done only at disproportionate cost. It may however be useful for you to see the top ten exemptions used by the Department from September 2006 to August 2007.
	1. S40 Personal information (139).
	2. S31 Law enforcement (105).
	3. S22 Information intended for future publication (89).
	4. S35 Formulation of government policy (49).
	5. S36 Prejudice to effective conduct of public affairs (44).
	6. S43 Commercial interests (38).
	7. S23 Information supplied by or related to bodies dealing with security matters (32).
	8. S38 Health and safety (30).
	9. S24 National security (29).
	10. S42 Legal professional privilege (22).
	Please be aware that more than one exemption can be applied for withholding information within a single request.

Departmental Marketing

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many posters or displays there are in the offices of her Department and its agencies displaying the names and photographs of Ministers; and what the cost has been of producing such posters or displays in the last five years.

Liam Byrne: At present there are four displays in the Home Office and its agencies displaying the work and organisational structure of the Department, which includes names and photographs of Ministers.
	It is not possible without incurring disproportionate costs to identify separately the costs of specifically updating the ministerial information.

Driving Offences: Fixed Penalties

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many driving licences submitted to fixed penalty offices have been lost before return to the holder.

Maria Eagle: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. In the event of a driving licence being lost, Royal Mail will pay compensation to replace the licence and the National Fixed Penalty Forum assist with the claims.

Drugs: Children

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many children under 16 in  (a) the North East,  (b) Teesside and  (c) Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency were arrested for possession of class (i) A drugs, (ii) B drugs and (ii) C drugs in each of the last seven years;
	(2)  how many children under 16 were arrested in  (a) the North East and  (b) Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency for dealing class (i) A drugs, (ii) B drugs and (ii) C drugs in each of the last seven years.

Vernon Coaker: The information requested is not available centrally.
	The arrests collection undertaken by the Ministry of Justice provides data on persons arrested for recorded crime (notifiable offences), by age group, gender, ethnicity, and main offence group, i.e. violence against the person, sexual offences, robbery, burglary, drugs offences etc. More detailed data about specific offences do not form part of this collection.

Drugs: Misuse

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of those brought into a police station tested positively for Class A drugs in each year since 1997; and what the level was of voluntary take-up of treatment.

Vernon Coaker: Following a successful pilot in a limited number of sites between 2001 and 2003, drug testing of offenders for specified Class A drugs (heroin and cocaine/crack) in police custody came into operation from 2003 across 30 BCUs as part of the Drug Interventions Programme. Since that time the programme has expanded in a phased approach to 66 BCUs in 2004 and some 107 BCUs in 2005.
	Only offenders arrested or charged with a "trigger offence"—largely acquisitive crime related offences—are required to provide a sample to be tested for specified Class A drugs.
	Between 2003 and 2005 the programme operated drug testing at the point of charge and the average rate of positive tests for specified Class A drugs for offenders charged with a trigger offence was:
	2003-04: 54 per cent.
	2004-05: 46 per cent.
	From 2005 to the present time the programme operated drug testing at the point of arrest and the average rate of positive tests for specified Class A drugs for offenders arrested for a trigger offence was:
	2005-06: 45 per cent.
	2006-07: 37 per cent.
	From 2003 the number of offenders entering treatment voluntarily through the Drug Interventions Programme are as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2003-04 1,950 
			 2004-05 16,517 
			 2005-06 24,557 
			 2006-07 39,903

Drugs: Misuse

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which recommendations of the Downing street strategy unit report on drugs of 2005 have been implemented.

Phil Hope: I have been asked to respond.
	The strategy unit report on high-harm-causing drugs was undertaken in 2003 and contributed to wider policy debate across Government. The report did not make any formal recommendations to the Home Office but helped to inform the development of the Government's existing drug strategy which sets out a range of policies and interventions focusing on the most dangerous drugs that cause the most harm to communities and individuals.

Entry Clearances: Fraud

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions sponsors of visa applications have been found to be under investigation for obtaining indefinite leave to remain by fraudulent means; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: The information requested could be obtained only by the detailed examination of individual case records at disproportionate cost.

Essex Police: Manpower

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) police officers and  (b) operational police officers per head of population there were in Essex police authority in each year since 1990.

Tony McNulty: The data for police officers are taken from the Home Office Statistical Bulletin series Police Service Strength, England and Wales which was first published in 1998, therefore the data are available from 1998 onwards. The data for operational police officers have been centrally collected since 2003, therefore the data are available from 2003 onwards. The available data are given in the following table.
	
		
			  Police officer strength for Essex police force area, as at 31 March (FTE)( 1,2) 
			   Total officers per 100,000 population( 3)  Total operational officers per 100,000 population( 3) 
			 1998 193 — 
			 1999 190 — 
			 2000 183 — 
			 2001 179 — 
			 2002 181 — 
			 2003 186 177 
			 2004 192 182 
			 2005 198 187 
			 2006 203 192 
			 2007(4) 203 196 
			 (1) Full-time equivalent. This figure includes those on career breaks or maternity/paternity leave. (2) This and other tables contain full-time equivalent figures that have been rounded to the nearest whole number. Because of rounding, there may be an apparent discrepancy between totals and the sums of the constituent items. (3) Officers per 100,000 population for City of London and Metropolitan Police are combined. (4) Functional group totals do not match published figures. Data quality may be an issue with this force.

Foreign Workers: Care Homes

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment has been made of the effects of the introduction of additional transitional measures to case worker guidance on handling work permit applications relating to senior care worker posts and applications from senior care workers previously refused extensions on grounds that their new posts were not advertised nationally.

Liam Byrne: The work permit arrangements do not require now, nor required under transitional arrangements introduced in August 2007, nor required prior to the introduction of these transitional arrangements, jobs to be advertised nationally where a work permit holder changes employer but continues to do the same type of job. Normally this only applies where an application is received either before they leave their current employment or within 28 days of their last day of work with their previous employer.
	Applicants whose work permits have already expired should apply for extensions as soon as possible. Caseworkers consider all aspects of each individual case when making a decision.

Human Trafficking

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the security of the support and accommodation arrangements provided for child victims of human trafficking in the North West, North East and Midlands will be reviewed; what representations she has received from campaign organisations on the safety and security of trafficked children within the care of local authorities; and if she will make a statement.

Jacqui Smith: Under the Children Acts 1989 and 2004, it is the responsibility of local authorities rather than central Government to safeguard and promote the welfare of any child who is assessed to be at risk of harm and in need of accommodation. Any review of the security of the support and accommodation arrangements provided for child victims of human trafficking in particular areas would, therefore, be for the relevant local authorities.
	The Government published on 7 December 2007 supplementary guidance—Working Together to Safeguard Children who may have been Trafficked—which actively guides practitioners towards making appropriate decisions for safeguarding children they suspect may have been trafficked. The Government will also shortly publish their reform programme for unaccompanied asylum seeking children which will include proposals on how safe arrangements for trafficked children may be further improved.
	My hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Crime Reduction has met representatives from children's charities to discuss the safeguarding of trafficked children and informed them of the Government's policy aims for safeguarding child victims of trafficking.

Human Trafficking

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans the Government has for provision of support for people who have been trafficked beyond the current funding arrangement for the Poppy Project.

Jack Straw: I have been asked to reply.
	The Government have announced their intention to accelerate plans to ratify and implement the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings by the end of 2008, which sets a minimum framework of support for all identified victims of trafficking. This will enable us to enhance our existing arrangements and build on the support provided by the Poppy Project.

Human Trafficking

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) prosecutions and  (b) convictions there have been for human trafficking offences in each year since 2001, broken down by type of offence.

Jacqui Smith: The Sexual Offences Act 2003 came into force on 1 May 2004. Prosecution and conviction figures under dedicated trafficking legislation are as follows:
	
		
			   Court cases  Guilty verdicts 
			 2004 4 3 
			 2005 41 21 
			 2006 78 27 
			 2007 45 17 
		
	
	All of the above figures relate to cases of human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation. There have been no convictions to date for trafficking for exploitation under the Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants) Act 2004 which came into force on 1 December 2004.

Human Trafficking

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent estimate she has made of the number of people trafficked into the UK in each year since 2001.

Jacqui Smith: The nature of the crime makes it difficult to make an accurate assessment of the extent of the problem. In order to better understand the situation the Serious Organised Crime Agency along with the United Kingdom Human Trafficking Centre continue to work on improving intelligence collection as a priority. The intelligence collected as part of the current Operation Pentameter 2 will assist with improving our understanding of the nature and scale of trafficking throughout the UK.
	However, findings from a Home Office research paper estimates that at any one time in 2003 there were in the region of 4,000 female victims of trafficking for prostitution in the UK.

Identity Cards: Foreigners

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether she expects the target to roll-out identity cards to non-EEA foreign nationals by the end of 2008 to be met.

Jacqui Smith: Yes. The UK Borders Act confirms the introduction of ID cards for foreign nationals from 2008 and we are on target to meet this.

Immigration Controls

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the proportion of  (a) inward migration and  (b) employment-related inward migration which would have been covered by the points-based system in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Liam Byrne: Persons from outside the EEA wishing to come to the UK to work or study and their dependants will need to apply under the points-based system once it is introduced.

Immigration: Children

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will take steps to improve the publication of the statistics on children being held in immigration removal centres to ensure that interested parties are able to see how many children are held, and how long they have been held for; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: The Home Office publishes a quarterly snapshot of people detained solely under Immigration Act powers on the last Saturday of each quarter, including a breakdown of children by length of detention. The latest published information pertains to people detained as at 29 September 2007.
	Published statistics on immigration and asylum are also available from the Library of the House.
	The Border and Immigration Agency is reviewing what statistics are published (all aspects of the statistics, not only statistics on children). A consultation document was issued on 6 December and a copy can be found at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs07/bia-immig-stat-review-07.pdf

Immigration: Work Permits

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much her Department spent in relation to appeals against decisions not to grant people work permits  (a) in total,  (b) on legal counsel and  (c) on immigration tribunal staffing, administration and accommodation costs in the last 12 months.

Liam Byrne: Within the immigration rules there is no right of appeal against the refusal to issue a work permit and as such information on work permit appeals is not available. If a work permit is refused, the applicant can apply for a review of their case. The purpose and scope of the review is to consider whether the correct administrative procedures have been followed in reaching a decision on the application.

Independent Police Complaints Commission

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what legislation regulates the Independent Police Complaints Commission; what amendments have been made to, and what recent representations she has received about the operation of this legislation; what  (a) statutory instruments,  (b) departmental circulars and  (c) other documents she (i) has issued and (ii) plans to issue in the next 12 months consequential to the provisions of this legislation; and if she will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) was established under the Police Reform Act 2002, with a remit covering complaints and conduct matters involving persons serving with the police service in England and Wales. The IPCC came into operation on 1 April 2004.
	The following regulations were made under the Police Reform Act 2002 in bringing the IPCC into operation:
	the Police (Complaints and Misconduct) Regulations 2004 (S.I. 2004/643), amended by S.I. 2006/1406;
	the IPCC (Staff Conduct) Regulations 2004 S.I. 2004/660;
	IPCC (Transitional Provisions) Order 2004 S.I. 2004/671;
	the IPCC (Forces maintained otherwise than under Police Authorities) Order 2004 S.I. 2004/672 (relating to the MoD police and BTP).
	The IPCC (Investigatory Powers) Order 2004 S.I. 2004/815 modifies, in relation to the functions of the IPCC:
	Part 3 of the Police Act 1997 (authorisations to interfere with property);
	and
	Parts 2 (intrusive surveillance) and 4 (Tribunal) of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000
	Schedule 12 to the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 amended the Police Reform Act 2002, extending the IPCC's remit to cover death and serious injury matters, and to cover complaints against the Serious and Organised Crime Agency.
	The Commissioners of Revenue and Customs Act 2005 and the Revenue and Customs (Complaints and Misconduct) Regulations 2005 (S.I. 2005/3311) as amended by S.I. 2006/1748 made under the 2005 Act extended the IPCC's remit in relation to the Commissioners and officers of HM Revenue and Customs.
	The Police and Justice Act 2006 will extend the IPCC's jurisdiction to cover specified enforcement functions of immigration officers.
	A Statutory Order was laid before Parliament on 5 June 2007 for the purpose of applying the Official Secrets Act to IPCC commissioners and staff.
	Further legislation changes affecting the IPCC will be made as part of the introduction of a new simplified and modernised police misconduct system. However, no further regulatory changes are envisaged in the next 12 months.

Members: Correspondence

Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when a reply will be sent to the hon. Member for West Worcestershire's letter to the Minister of State, dated 27 November 2007, on behalf of a constituent about the deportation of asylum seekers to Uzbekistan.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 14 January 2008
	The chief executive of the Border and Immigration responded to the hon. Member for West Worcestershire's letter on 11 January 2008.

Metropolitan Police: Legal Costs

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much was spent by her Department in total on defending actions brought against the Metropolitan Police by victims of crime in each year since 2001.

Tony McNulty: Defending actions brought against the Metropolitan police is a matter for the Metropolitan police and the Metropolitan Police Authority.

Pakistan: Arrests

Chris Mullin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations she received from the government of Pakistan on  (a) Hyrbyair Marri and  (b) Faiz Baluch prior to their arrest in the UK.

Tony McNulty: The Home Office does not comment on individual cases.

Proscribed Organisations

Roger Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 10 December 2007,  Official Report, column 98W, on Proscribed Organisations Appeals Commission (POAC) and the subsequent refusal of the POAC to permit the Government to appeal against its order to the Home Secretary to lift the ban on the prohibition of the People's Mujahedeen of Iran, what steps the Government are taking to comply with the judgment and implement the order.

Tony McNulty: The Government have applied to the Court of Appeal for leave to appeal the judgment of the Proscribed Organisations Appeals Commission (POAC) in relation to the proscription of the Peoples' Mujahedeen of Iran. No action will be taken in respect of the judgment until the appeals process has concluded.